THE HON. GREG HUNT MP
Federal Member for Flinders
Minister for Health and Aged Care
The Hon. Angus Taylor MP
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
The Morrison Government is supporting a trial of batteries mounted on power poles across Melbourne’s south east to make better use of electricity from rooftop solar during periods of peak demand on the network.
Through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Government is providing $4 million for the trial, conducted by United Energy to support customers in south-eastern Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said the trial, if successful, could improve the way power networks integrate Australia’s world leading levels of rooftop solar generation and storage, and strengthen system reliability and security.
“Australia is a world leader in renewable energy, with one in four households adopting rooftop solar and over 7 gigawatts of new renewable capacity entering the grid in the last year alone,” Minister Taylor said.
“As this new capacity comes online, it is absolutely critical that we keep our grid reliable and secure”
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the trial by United Energy aims to help solve the problem of integrating rooftop solar into the network by providing local storage, which will also help them to manage the network during times of extreme demand.
“The $11 million project will see 40 batteries installed on power poles at strategic places throughout the network including on the Morning Peninsula. Each battery is capable of more than two hours of output,” Mr Hunt said.
“By managing the batteries, the electricity supplier can reduce the stress on local transformers at peak times, while providing wholesale power at other times. This will help ensure more reliable, affordable power for Australians.”
Energy storage is a key priority under the Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap.
United Energy is a Victorian energy distributor which manages a low-voltage distribution network for 660,000 customers across Melbourne’s East, South East and the Mornington Peninsula.
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