Project Update Week ending 23 November 2018 Australia’s largest integrated battery with a solar farm ready for summer 16 November - The 25MW / 50MWh Gannawarra Energy National Electricity Market (NEM). GESS is Storage System (GESS) has completed capable of powering more than 16,000 homes construction and began exporting electricity through two hours of peak demand before to the grid on 16 October 2018 in time for being recharged. summer. - The project is among the largest integrated This is the first time a utility-scale battery solar and battery facilities in the world (the system has been retrofitted to an existing largest in Australia) providing capacity to use solar project, the Gannawarra Solar Farm, solar energy at night. providing a new commercial model for other - Financing for the GESS was underpinned by renewable and storage facilities in Australia. $25 million of grant funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) Australian renewable energy company Edify and the Victorian Government. Energy oversaw the deployment and - The project features a long-term commercial construction of the project, which utilises services agreement with EnergyAustralia, Tesla’s lithium ion battery technology. operator of the battery in conjunction with the offtake of the 60MW DC Gannawarra Energy retailer EnergyAustralia will charge Solar Farm. This is an innovative model for and dispatch energy from the facility until incorporating batteries into retail and 2030. This is in addition to a long-term corporate offtake arrangements. agreement to buy all the electricity generated from the co-located Gannawarra Solar Farm. Victoria’s Gannawarra Energy Storage System (GESS), the largest integrated solar and EnergyAustralia will operate the combined battery storage facility in Australia, is now solar farm and battery facility in a coordinated exporting and importing electricity to the grid way that better serves the Victorian energy and is ready to support the national energy market than could be achieved by a stand- system as demand rises over summer. alone renewable asset. The project, developed by a consortium GESS was selected by the Victorian comprising Australian renewable energy and Government under its Energy Storage storage company, Edify Energy, Tesla and Initiative to integrate a 25MW / 50MWh Tesla EnergyAustralia and co-financed by WIRSOL Powerpack battery with the 60MW DC Energy, is currently completing commissioning Gannawarra Solar Farm. ARENA on behalf of and operating as a market participant in the the Australian Government and the Victorian Page 1 (Click on relevant project links to go to online Project Database) Government Department of Environment, we can look forward to in a modern energy Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) supported system that delivers reliable, affordable and GESS with $25 million in grant funding. cleaner energy for customers. Edify Energy CEO John Cole sees this project “The ability to store and quickly release being a real win for Victorian and Australian energy will help integrate renewables into the energy consumers in the enablement of a system as coal-fired plants progressively low-carbon energy future. “The entire sector retire,” Ms Tanna said. “These are the new is aware of the potential for storage projects technologies and approaches that will come to not only provide invaluable services to the to underpin our energy system, keeping market and the grid, but also to enable the customers’ lights on and their costs down.” roll out of more and more clean and cheap renewable energy.” Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio added that “We said we would deliver this for “Solar plus storage is a ‘category killer’. We Victoria, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. are very proud to have developed, structured This Andrews Labor Government initiative is and overseen the construction of two projects an important part of helping us transition to a that together can serve as a model for wider more affordable, reliable and clean energy adoption of storage into the market and the system. We are continuing to modernise our realisation of a high renewable future. We electricity grid, strengthen our energy security intend to continue our roll out of storage and and deliver real action on climate change.” renewables projects and help our corporate and other customers achieve their energy and Edify Energy developed, structured and sustainability objectives,” Mr Cole said. provided construction management services for the project. In addition to continuing Mark Hogan, Managing Director of WIRSOL development of other projects in its portfolio, Energy said, “We are delighted to reach this Edify Energy will undertake the long-term crucial milestone at Gannawarra Solar Farm. asset management role for GESS, on top of The overall project and how it has evolved is the asset management role it performs for the unique to the industry which in turn sets a other projects Edify Energy has developed and benchmark for future projects and enables overseen through construction, including the the ability to optimise the delivery of energy Gannawarra, Whitsunday, Hamilton, at peak times supporting demand throughout Daydream and Hayman Solar Farms. the daily cycle, providing a range of direct and indirect benefits to Victorian and Australian Source: Edify Energy consumers.” “We are proud to be a major contributor PROJECT NEWS towards Victoria’s renewable energy target Bluewater Solar Farm which also underwrites our own personal The federal Department of the Environment & mission of deploying greater than one Energy decided FRV Services Australia’s gigawatt of solar energy in Australia by the proposed 102 MW Bluewater Solar Farm in year 2020. Maintaining the deployment of northern Queensland was not a controlled solar, coupled with storage where action and so does not require approval under appropriate, is a cornerstone in attaining the EPBC Act. sustainable and affordable clean energy, which is evidently now within reach on a global scale, specifically within Australia.” EnergyAustralia Managing Director, Catherine Tanna, said the project is an example of what Page 2 (Click on relevant project links to go to online Project Database) $50 million fund to support Proposals involving pumped hydro energy storage, hydrogen and natural gas storage, new energy storage projects to bioenergy, solar thermal and batteries are make electricity more examples that could be submitted into one of the following investment streams: affordable and reliable in SA - Stream 1 – targeting behind-the-meter 19 November projects in commercial or industrial facilities, The State Government has launched a $50 or in the distribution network million fund to support construction of new - Stream 2 – targeting centralised, bulk energy energy storage projects in South Australia, storage projects building on our efforts to make electricity more affordable and reliable for households The single round of applications will close on 7 and businesses across the state. February 2019, to allow for successful projects to be announced by mid-2019. Grant funding from the Grid Scale Storage Fund will accelerate investment in the grid- There is no minimum or maximum grant scale energy storage needed to address amount within the $50 million Fund intermittency in South Australia’s electricity threshold. However, Applicants must state the system. amount they are applying for when submitting a Proposal. The State Government has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Projects targeting financial close by the end of Federal Government agency the Australian 2019 are preferred. Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), with a view to coordinating the assessment of Applicants interested in applying for projects that may be eligible for joint funding additional funding under ARENA’s ARP will be under ARENA’s Advancing Renewables able to register and complete a separate Program (ARP). second application through ARENA to be considered for co-funding. “This multi-million dollar fund is more great news for both business and consumers, and is The South Australian Government will work one of a range of measures the Liberal with ARENA to ensure projects that meet the Government is taking to make electricity more criteria can benefit from this opportunity and affordable and reliable,” Minister van Holst get off the ground quickly. Pellekaan said. Federal Minister for Energy Angus Taylor said “The fund is technology neutral. Eligible the commitment from the State Government projects must benefit the state by addressing helped bridge the commerciality gap for grid the challenges that have driven up electricity scale storage projects. prices in South Australia. “The $50 million funding commitment from “For example, projects could boost the the South Australian Government will help to reliability of our network during peak periods realise a number of ground breaking projects or increase the security of supply at the fringe that will help provide 24/7 reliable power,” of our grid. Minister Taylor said. “The fund will leverage South Australia’s “The Federal Government encourages world-class renewable energy assets, as well investment in the storage and firming as the engineering and technology expertise technologies needed to provide more within our business and investment affordable and reliable power to Australian community.” families and small businesses. Page 3 (Click on relevant project links to go to online Project Database) “The Federal Government, through ARENA, Collgar Wind