By Oliver Winn
Ausnet, Indigo Power and the Yarra Ranges Council have teamed up to unveil a new community battery in Yarra Junction.
Managed by Indigo Power, the battery (YARRA01) will store surplus solar energy produced by households during the day, and then release it back into the grid at night, lowering demand on the grid and cutting electricity costs.
The YARRA01 launch took place on Tuesday 11 March, with key players from all parties in attendance such as Yarra Ranges mayor Jim Child, Labor senator Lisa Darmanin, the Indigo Power team and AusNet.
Indigo Power director Rik Thwaites said the goal of Indigo Power was to provide one hundred per cent renewable energy that “empowers communities” and “subverts the dominant system”.
“The grid that we have was designed around centralized generation, mass transit, a bit more power and localized usage, and that model is part of the problem we face today,” Mr Thwaites said.
Manager of grid evolution at AusNet Ana Erceg highlighted how the power grid was designed for households to receive electricity, and not export it.
“Without the batteries we might have to say: ‘Sorry, we can’t have that much solar because the network is constrained because it was only built for one way flow,’” Ms Erceg said.
But the YARRA01 battery allows households to use the solar energy they’ve produced in a way that benefits the community.
“It’s not being constrained by us… it’s actually just helping us open the network and give more solar to the community,” Ms Erceg said.
Healesville CoRE president Karen Roberts asked during a question and answer session about the potential of Healesville getting its own solar battery.
In response to Ms Roberts, Yarra Ranges mayor Jim Child said council looks at every proposal on a case by case basis.
YARRA01 came to fruition through a grant from the Federal Government and a collaboration between Indigo Power and Yarra Ranges Council.
“This project has been a true collaboration between Yarra Ranges Council and Indigo Power, with council providing the land for the battery through a lease and agreement and Indigo Power securing funding and leading the development,” Cr Child said.
“Expanding battery storage like this across Victoria is a vital step in ensuring a reliable, renewable-powered future.”
Senator Lisa Darmanin said “Community batteries like this one in Yarra Junction are creating great benefits by helping families cut their power bills, making the grid more reliable, and ensuring that everyone, not just those with solar panels, can share in Australia’s renewable energy future.”
