Battery Energy Storage System

Between 2021 and 2023, 40 pole top batteries will be installed across Melbourne’s east, south east and the Mornington Peninsula as part of an $11m program – funded with $7m from us and $4m from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The batteries benefit local customers by storing energy from both our network and nearby solar panels that can then be used locally when needed. They will charge at times of the day when there is low electricity demand or when rooftop solar systems are exporting into our network.

Power from the batteries can then be used later in the day to make more power available when demand is high and solar systems are no longer generating.

Each of the 30kW batteries has the capacity to service local homes and businesses with up to two hours of energy (66kWh). When complete, the fleet of batteries – which have an expected life span of around 15 years – will store 1.2MW of power and support up to 5,000 customers.