Round 2 of the Victorian Government’s $10.9 million Neighbourhood Battery Initiative (NBI) will deliver two projects in Melbourne’s Richmond and Docklands in an effort to maximise the uptake of rooftop solar.
The $1.5 million investment will deliver neighbourhood-scale batteries, which increase energy stability and enable the grid to support more rooftop solar by storing generated electricity during the day and discharging it back at night.
Yarra Energy Foundation will deliver a 120kW/390kWh battery and off-street EV charge-point installed at the Burnley Backyard, a Council community centre in Richmond.
City of Melbourne will install a 150kW/300kWh system at Library at the Dock, the first in a planned 5-megawatt (MW) network of neighbourhood-scale batteries.
State Minister for Energy, Lily D’Ambrosio, said the batteries would maximise cost savings for solar-equipped homes.
“Neighbourhood batteries capture more power from rooftop solar during the day and feed it back in the evening, sharing the cost savings of solar with local communities,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“The Victorian Government is delivering batteries in communities around the state, taking us closer to our Energy Storage Targets, cutting costs for communities and helping us halve emissions by 2030.”
The batteries will support the Victorian Government’s Energy Storage Targets, aiming for 2.6GW of renewable energy storage capacity by 2030, with an increased target of 6.3GW of storage by 2035.
A third round of the NBI will be opened in early 2023, with more details to be released shortly. Round 2 projects will commence in 2022 and be completed by June 2024.
