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How does battery storage work
19 December 2024
How batteries work
A fundamental problem with electricity is that it cannot be captured and stored. Batteries are a way of getting around this problem – they store chemicals that can be converted into electrical energy as and when needed.
Today, lithium ion batteries are most commonly used for storing electricity. Lithium is the lightest metal, and has the highest electrode potential, which means batteries using lithium generally offer superior energy-to-weight performance. They also tend to be less susceptible to the aforementioned memory effect. Better yet, Australia is the world’s largest exporter of lithium, so the popularity of lithium ion batteries presents clear economic opportunities.
The virtue of using batteries in conjunction with variable renewable energy generation is that batteries can store energy at times of low demand, and dispatch it at times of high demand. Batteries can also ramp up faster than fast-start gas generators (which are themselves faster than coal-fired power stations), providing the grid with much-needed flexibility.
The world’s first grid-scale lithium ion battery was commissioned in California in 2012. Stanwell’s Southern Queensland Battery Storage project will be operational by mid 2025, and the Central Queensland Battery Storage System will be operational by mid 2027.
Other kinds of battery technologies are being tested for use by Stanwell, including Iron-Flow batteries.
Batteries alone won’t fill the intermittency gap – but alongside other energy storage technologies, like large-scale pumped hydro, they can help to support the increased use of variable renewable energy sources and ensure the continued stability of Queensland and Australia’s electricity supply.
Flagship projects
Stanwell BESS
The Stanwell battery storage project is essential to support the renewable projects being developed across central Queensland and is currently the largest committed battery project in Queensland.
The Stanwell BESS will consist of 324 lithium-ion Tesla XL Megapacks and be capable of storing and discharging 300MW of energy for 4 hours equating to 1200MWh.
The BESS will be charged during high energy generation, and discharged back to the grid during peak demand, or to maintain grid stability and can charge and discharge electricity several times a day and can respond within fractions of a second. The Stanwell BESS is scheduled to be operational by mid-2027.
STANWELL BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM
Tarong BESS
This battery storage project is essential to support the renewable projects being developed across Southern Queensland.
The Tarong BESS comprises of 164 lithium-ion Tesla Megapacks and will be able to store and discharge 300MW of energy for 2 hours, equating to 600MWh.
The BESS will be charged during high energy generation, and discharged back to the grid during peak demand or to maintain grid stability. The BESS can charge and discharge electricity several times a day and can respond within fractions of a second. The Tarong BESS is scheduled to be operational by mid-2025.
TARONG BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM
BATTERY STORAGE INFORMATION HUB
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