How is energy stored in Australia?

Currently storage of electrical energy in Australia consists of a small number of pumped hydroelectric facilities and grid-scale batteries, and a diversity of battery storage systems at small scale, used mainly for backup. To balance energy use across the Australian economy, heat and fuel (chemical energy) storage are also required.

Which energy storage technology is best for Australia's energy needs?

The CEC said emerging LDES technologies coupled with the energy storage systems in place, would be the best suite to appropriately manage Australia’s needs. In March this year, the ARENA held an Insights Forum which covered energy storage and technologies that can bring system security to the grid.

Will Australia's NEM see a massive increase in battery energy storage capacity?

Australia’s NEM will see a massive increase in grid-scale battery energy storage capacity in the next three years. There are 16.8 GW of battery projects that could come online in the National Electricity Market (NEM) by the end of 2027.

Is battery storage the key to Australia's energy transition?

Origin Energy, which holds a 5% equity stake in Allegro Energy, said on LinkedIn that battery storage – including LDES – will be critical to Australia’s energy transition. Through its partnership with Allegro Energy, Origin plans to pilot the technology at Eraring before considering broader deployment, the company stated.

What is Australia's current storage capacity?

The current climate Australia’s current storage capacity is 3GW, this is inclusive of batteries, VPPs and pumped hydro. Current forecasts by AEMO show Australia will need at least 22GW by 2030 – a more than 700 per cent increase in capacity in the next six years.

Can Australia meet its energy storage needs on the road to net zero?

These are just a few of the amazing LDES projects funded by ARENA. They are all examples of the pivotal innovation required to ensure Australia can meet its energy storage needs on the road to net zero. Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) is proving to be an important technology for Australia's net zero ambitions.