Renewables, Australia to build a mega solar plant with 1 million batteries
Environment — di Rudi Bressa
More than 3 million solar panels combined with 1 million batteries will make up the world's largest plant with an energy storage system.
Renewables, Australia to build a mega solar plant with 1 million batteries
More than 3 million solar panels combined with 1 million batteries will make up the world's largest plant with an energy storage system.
That the future of renewable energy runs through energy storage is well established. This is demonstrated by the numerous solar power plants with storage installed in various parts of the world, as well as the major investments made by Elon Musk in the Gigafactory, the factory of the future.
Confirming this is a new mega project set to be built in South Australia. Lyon Group has announced that it is preparing to construct the Kingfisher Project, which, once completed, will be the world's largest solar power plant with energy storage.
A record-breaking solar plant
The figures speak for themselves: 3.4 million photovoltaic panels and 1.1 million individual batteries, amounting to a capacity of 330 megawatts and a storage capacity of 100 megawatts. That is enough to supply electricity to tens of thousands of households. Once completed, the plant will cover an area of 4,000 square metres and will cost approximately 1 billion dollars. "Projects like these represent the future," South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill told the press.
World's largest solar+battery plant set to be built this year.
South Australia will host.
Great!
ow.ly/1GTq30aqSXe
South Australia will host.
Great!
ow.ly/1GTq30aqSXe
According to analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Australia's energy transition has begun: coal and gas are giving way to solar and wind, to the extent that it forecasts that by 2040 two thirds of installed capacity will come from renewable sources, while at least 15 gigawatts of storage capacity will be available to store energy.
"This is a fundamental shift," said Kobad Bhavnagri, lead analyst at Bnef. "Australia's energy sector should change dramatically over the next 25 years, driven by new solar installations and energy storage."
It is South Australia in particular that leads the way on renewables across the country. According to the Clean Energy Council, as early as 2014 40 per cent of energy came from renewable sources, very close to the target of 50 per cent by 2025. But there is more: on 30 September 2014, from 9.30 in the morning until 6 in the evening, the entire region was powered solely by renewable energy — a sign that demonstrated the full potential of clean energy generation in Australia as well.