A central battery storage system for the Darwin-Katherine grid would help provide reliable power to Territorians and facilitate renewable energy.
Critics claim solar energy is inconsistent due to cloud cover. But the reality is that all types of electricity generators – including gas and coal – can fluctuate or even fail. Frequency and voltage often fluctuate, the quality of gas supply (even air temperature changes) can cause gas turbines to change their output, and bad weather can impact conventional power plants or transmission lines.
Energy storage in modern electricity grids stores energy when there is an excess of electricity generation, at other times drawing on that energy. Batteries can charge and discharge very quickly and the effect on the grid is to smooth out fluctuations.
Grids are essentially “wobbly” but are stabilised through technology and as the cost of battery storage continues to fall, it simply makes good economic sense to install grid-scale battery storage on the Darwin-Katherine grid.
In short, no matter what it is powered by – renewable energy or fossil fuels – the NT electricity system will benefit from storage.
Territory's main electricity generator, Territory Generation, stated in their last Statement of Corporate Intent that they have already been exploring battery energy storage systems for the Darwin-Katherine grid. They need to be supported in this endeavor.
What are other states and territories doing?
In other parts of the country, grid-scale battery and other forms of storage are proving their mettle. For example, the big Tesla battery in South Australia already beat fossil fuel generators to the task of supplying extra power to the grid when a coal plant failed in Victoria and is constantly clipping peak power demand spikes.
A central battery would complement other methods of introducing flexibility and resultant resilience into the system. Cost-effective demand-side management is one such technology. It's exciting to see so many energy storage technologies at different scales being rolled out in other states: from pumped hydro to flywheels, molten salt thermal energy storage to grid-scale chemical batteries such as flow batteries. For private households, installing electro-chemical battery systems like the Tesla Powerwall are also becoming more popular.
How will this create Territorian jobs and support Territorian businesses?
Installing battery storage on the Darwin-Katherine grid means more solar energy can be added to the grid – and that means more solar jobs and more business for NT solar companies. More solar energy also lowers NT electricity costs, which in turn drives economic development and job growth.
How can this be paid for?
Any generator (renewable energy or fossil fuels) that requires help from the battery to maintain stable electricity supply will pay for this service. The small additional cost is simply added to the base generation cost as with any generator system. Because solar is so cheap it can easily pay for this stability support.