Australian renewable energy developer and electricity retailer Flow Power will install a 3 MW DC-coupled battery energy storage system next to the recently completed Cootamundra Solar Farm in New South Wales, a measure designed to improve the facility’s flexibility.
Australia-based Flow Power has announced plans to expand its battery-based solar offering into New South Wales (NSW), with a 3MW battery energy storage system to be installed alongside its 5.8MW Cootamundra Solar Farm deployed. The battery is connected to the SMA 4.6 MVA solar inverter via DC-DC converters.
The Cootamundra Solar Farm consists of 8,080 PV panels spread over a 19 hectare site in the NSW Riverina region. The installation was commissioned in January 2024 and can generate approximately 11,800 MWh of clean energy annually. The project is supported by a long term power purchase agreement (PPA) with three councils in NSW.
Melbourne-based Flow Power said it will add a DC-coupled battery to the project next year, allowing it to store solar energy during periods when demand and prices are low, and then export clean energy back to the grid when energy is needed most. .
Power said the project will combine the benefits of renewable energy generation with the flexibility and responsiveness of strengthening technologies.
“This allows the site to be operated as a solar farm when demand and prices are low, while simultaneously charging the batteries,” the company said. “The batteries can then be turned on and export energy back to the grid when demand and prices are high, usually in the morning or afternoon.”
Flow Power aims to ensure the success of its first smart solar project, the Berri energy project in South Australia, which was the first demonstration of utility-scale DC-coupled storage in Australia.
The project, near the town of Berri, approximately 240km northeast of Adelaide, includes 5.8 MW of PV, a 4.6 MVA inverter station and a 6.7 MWh DC-coupled battery, all integrated into Flow’s proprietary kWatch Controller Power – an energy monitoring system that essentially responds to market price signals and automates the management of the system.
Flow Power said the Berri facility has delivered significant benefits to customers since its launch in April 2023.
“Despite the higher upfront costs, solar and battery energy storage often provides greater value to customers compared to solar alone,” the company said. “It provides better generation coverage during shoulder periods, allowing the grid to meet energy demand when solar generation declines.”
Flow Power Chief Operating Officer Byron Serjeantson said the co-located battery-solar projects help bridge the gap in renewable generation coverage and represent one of the emerging trends in the Australian PPA market.
“While the Australian energy market remains in transition, there is a growing need and opportunity for renewables that can be more flexible and responsive to market volatility,” he said. “With our South Australian Berri project completed last year and another recently completed NieuwstedeVictoria, we are very proud of our exceptional team and their ability to develop new technologies and solutions to support our customers.”
The Cootamundra project includes Flow Power’s total renewable energy portfolio of almost 500 MW of owned and contracted solar, wind and battery energy storage projects. The company said its development pipeline also includes standalone battery projects in the national electricity market.
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