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Australian renewables developer and electricity retailer Flow Power will install a 3 MW DC-coupled battery energy storage system alongside the recently completed Cootamundra Solar Farm in New South Wales in a move designed to improve the flexibility of the facility.
Australia-based Flow Power has announced plans to expand its battery-firmed, solar energy offering to New South Wales (NSW), with a 3 MW battery energy storage system to be deployed alongside its 5.8 MW Cootamundra Solar Farm. The battery will be connected via DC-DC converters to the SMA 4.6 MVA solar inverter.
The Cootamundra Solar Farm comprises 8,080 PV panels spread across a 19-hectare site in the NSW Riverina region. The facility commenced operations in January 2024 and is capable of generating approximately 11,800 MWh of clean energy annually. The project is underpinned by a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with a trio of NSW local councils.
Melbourne-headquartered Flow Power said it will next year add a DC-coupled battery to the project, allowing it to store solar energy during periods when demand and prices are low, and then export clean energy back to the grid when the energy is needed most.
Flow Power said the project will combine the benefits of renewable energy generation with the flexibility and responsiveness of firming technologies.
“This will allow the site to be run 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, typically in the morning or afternoon.”
Flow Power is aiming to replicate 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 about 240 km northeast of Adelaide, comprises 5.8 MW of PV, a 4.6 MVA inverter station and a 6.7 MWh DC-coupled battery, all integrated into Flow Power’s proprietary kWatch Controller – an energy monitoring system which essentially responds to market price signals and automates management of the system.
Flow Power said since its launch in April 2023, the Berri facility has delivered substantial benefits for customers.
“Despite higher upfront costs, solar plus battery energy storage often provides more value to customers compared to solar on its own,” the company said. “It provides better generation coverage through shoulder periods, helping the grid to meet energy demands when solar generation tapers.”
Flow Power Chief Operating Officer Byron Serjeantson said the co-located battery-solar projects are helping to bridge the gap in renewable generation coverage and represent one of the upcoming trends in Australia’s PPA market.
“As Australia’s energy market continues to 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 delivered last year, and another recently completed in Newstead, Victoria, we are really proud of our exceptional team and their ability to pioneer new technologies and solutions to support our customers”.
The Cootamundra project takes Flow Power’s total renewable energy portfolio close to 500 MW of owned and contracted solar, wind and battery energy storage projects. The company said its development pipeline also includes standalone battery projects across the National Electricity Market. |
