RENE WABL E S
RENEWABLES AT A GLANCE: AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST UP-AND-COMING PROJECTS
by April Shepherd, Journalist, Utility Magazine
As the impacts of climate change worsen and put Australia's energy future under the microscope, renewables are set to play a significant part in the country’s pathway to a low-emissions future. Utility has collated Australia's most ambitious renewable projects across batteries, bioenergy, solar, wind and hydro, to reveal how the country is making the most of its abundant resources.
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s the effects of climate change start to unfold in real-time, Australia is investing in the renewable energy industry. Australia’s growth of renewable uptake is almost double the global average, with renewable electricity generation doubling over the last decade, and 21 per cent of the country’s total electricity generation coming from renewables in 2019. The uptake has been driven by solar and wind, with rooftop solar growing a massive 25 per cent in 2019, and largescale solar growing rapidly; contributing to two per cent of all generation in Australia. According to a recent International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report, Renewable Capacity Statistics 2021, Oceania’s renewable growth rate was the highest in the world, boasting a 18.5 per cent rise – in comparison,
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Europe had a six per cent rate and Asia 15 per cent. Renewable energy uptake will play a significant role in the transition of the National Electricity Market (NEM) to creating sustainable, clean and reliable energy.
BIG BATTERY POWER Big batteries are playing a crucial role in the transition to renewable energy, by acting as the ‘power banks’ of the energy world. Traditionally, coal, gas and hydro energy have provided the grid with stability, using frequency control and inertia. Inertia is supplied by energy sources that have large rotating rotors, acting as a defence for service disruptions, because if the power source wanes, the rotor will keep spinning.
UTILITY • NOVEMBER 2021
However, as these types of energy suppliers reduce in the grid, so does the grid’s back-up storage. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) provide a backup supply for renewable energy sources, overcoming the problem of intermittent supply when it is not sunny or windy. When conditions for renewables are ideal, BESS can store excess power created for use when conditions are not as good, or when service is in demand.
THE VICTORIAN BIG BATTERY The Victorian Big Battery – a 300MW battery the size of a football field in Geelong – began in 2019 and is set to be one of the biggest batteries in the world. The project is a collaboration between French renewables company Neoen and Tesla Megapack technology – a modular system that is high-density
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