Independent power producer Neoen Australia said an expansion of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery system has completed its network connection, bringing the Tesla-supported Hornsdale Power Reserve, adjacent to a wind farm in South Australia, to a rated size of 150 MW/193.5 MWh.
It’s the latest in a series of projects being developed worldwide to add energy storage to solar arrays, at wind farms, and even thermal power plants as growth in battery energy storage systems (BESS) continues. The industry is moving forward, even though growth will likely be slowed by the coronavirus pandemic.
“This was expected to be a banner year,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the Energy Storage Association, in an April 17 interview with POWER. “We’re going to see a real hit on that, especially with behind-the-meter projects. People don’t want workers coming to their home, and businesses are closed.”
Speakes-Backman acknowledged the problems that storage and other energy industry sectors are facing from COVID-19, with equipment shortages and supply chain issues, along with a struggling economy, impacting project financing and construction. But she said the pandemic is highlighting some of the issues that make energy storage so important.
“The things that are pushing us forward have to do with resilience and making the grid stronger,” she said. “A lot of people that are going in for solar, are also going in for storage. On the commercial and industrial side, as opposed to a diesel backup generator, now they’re looking at providing for resiliency with storage. We certainly can see the importance of adding resiliency to hospitals and other critical facilities.”
Hornsdale Is Largest, but Not for Long
The Hornsdale project (Figure 1), adjacent to the 315-MW Hornsdale Wind Farm in Jamestown, South Australia (a POWER Top Plant in 2018), is an example of a storage project with several benefits. Neoen Australia reported work on the Hornsdale expansion network connection was completed earlier this month.
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