Residents and businesses in Melbourne's CBD will see improved energy reliability and reduced energy costs with the introduction of new battery energy storage systems.
The City of Melbourne has launched the first of two 150-kilowatt battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of the Power Melbourne project. The first battery has been installed at Council House 1, with a second battery to be installed at Docklands Library.
This $750,000 investment will enable these batteries to capture excess renewable energy when it is plentiful and deliver it when it is needed. By maximising the use of rooftop solar generated during the day, these neighbourhood batteries will help reduce energy bills and increase the capacity of the electricity grid, allowing more residents to install solar panels.
The Neighbourhood Battery Initiative (NBI), which funded this project, is also supporting additional neighbourhood batteries in Fitzroy North and Tarneit, with plans to expand further. The initiative will see 100 more neighbourhood batteries installed across the state, starting with 25 batteries in 20 cities, storing more than 4.2 megawatt hours of electricity.
Applications for the next round of the Neighbourhood Batteries programme will open in August. For more information on Neighbourhood Batteries, visit energy.vic.gov.au/grants/neighbourhood-batteries.