Kununurra is home to a new vanadium flow battery, with the Western Australian Government trialling the technology in the unique Kimberley conditions.
The battery has a 78KW capacity and 220KWh of storage, which the Western Australian Government said it well suited to the Kimberley as it requires storage solutions to be temperature resilient and capable of delivering energy over a long period of time.
The pilot is also expected to provide Horizon Power with lessons on how to integrate long-duration energy storage into its network, microgrids, and other off-grid power systems.
The Western Australian Government said battery storage already plays a critical role in the state’s energy mix, with large-scale batteries in Kwinana and Collie absorbing excess rooftop solar power during the day and redistributing it at night when demand for energy is greater.
VSUN Energy, a subsidiary of Australian Vanadium, has supplied the vanadium flow battery, and will collaborate with Horizon Power on system support testing over the next 12 months.
Western Australian Energy Minister, Reece Whitby, said the State Government’s continued investment in battery storage means households throughout Western Australia can continue to reap the benefits of rooftop solar.
“This pilot won’t just mean there is more clean, reliable, and affordable power for regional Western Australia – it means Horizon Power can better understand how batteries can support microgrids and other off-grid power systems throughout the state.”
Mr Whitby said the State Government wants to see households benefit from the energy transition.
“That’s why we will continue to support rooftop solar uptake while investing in an energy mix that combines large-scale storage and onshore wind with gas as required.”
Kimberley MLA, Divina D’Anna, said, “I am excited about the pilot of the long duration battery in Kununurra as it’s a major step towards providing clean, reliable energy for regional and remote communities, tailored to withstand our unique climate.
“It is important to help secure affordable and resilient power for our communities in the Kimberley and beyond.”
Horizon Power CEO, Stephanie Unwin, said Kununurra, with its hot and humid climate, is a challenging environment for battery energy storage.
“Piloting the vanadium flow battery in these extreme conditions will help us to learn more about its capabilities and the potential for it to be effectively integrated into our network, much of which is subject to extreme temperatures.
“We look forward to collaborating with VSUN Energy and testing this cutting-edge technology over the next 12 months.
“This long duration energy storage pilot supports our focus on solving the important technical challenge of long duration storage and performance in extreme environments, supporting us with our decarbonisation goals.”
