This edge of grid project in North Queensland has all of the characteristics required for similar situations in Western Australia. Perhaps four or five projects like this would be required for a state the size of WA.
The Garden Island Microgrid Project will soon be able to do the same thing.
"These are the five functionalities that this battery storage system will be able to demonstrate simultaneously:
PV support mode: To improve a solar system’s reliability, battery systems can close gaps between the generation and demand of power. Here the system uses features like PV smoothing and ramping or peak shaving to stabilize the renewable system.
Grid support mode: When connected to the grid, the ESS serves as an intermediary between the grid and PV systems. In this mode, the battery inverters secure a more stable grid by managing the input and output of active and reactive power, and ultimately reduce the likelihood of brownouts.
Island mode: In the event of power disruptions within the national grid, the local system can operate independently powering the local community of 3,000 households.
Market mode: When connected to the national grid, renewable systems can be profitable ventures. This mode shows how the system can participate in energy arbitrage trading.
Combined mode: Perhaps the most relevant to real-world applications, this is where the project tests different modal combinations to optimize the RE system’s economic viability.
“This is the first time that five functionalities of a grid-connected renewable energy system have been tested – the implications are far reaching for the future of energy storage systems,” said Erich Bosch, co-founder and CTO of Autarsys."
