SolarEdge Technologies Energy Storage Division and Pacific Energy have collaborated to help decarbonise Australia’s mining and utility sectors, providing sophisticated large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) to clients across Australia. The two companies have supplied and delivered 55 MWh of BESS and announce more than 66 MWh in the pipeline, expected to be delivered to the national market over the coming two years.
Pacific Energy and SolarEdge’s collaboration started in 2019 with Pacific Energy’s Esperance hybrid power system, for which SolarEdge supplied the battery rack systems for the project’s 1.3 MWh BESS. Incorporating wind, solar and gas, the Esperance system required sophisticated grid stabilising technology, known as virtual generation, and enables significantly higher penetration of renewable energy while ensuring the town’s power supply remained stable.
Since then, the partnership has gone on to deliver several industry leading BESS to Australian miners and utilities, including a 42 MW/19 MWh BESS for Fortescue’s Pilbara Energy Connect project. This system supports two of Fortescue’s Pilbara operations and, at point of delivery, was one of the world’s largest network-connected BESS to be developed for a mining application.
The BESS’s primary role is to ensure grid stability and support, and it does this by providing virtual spinning reserve, which significantly reduces fossil fuel consumption, and by delivering stabilising bursts of power within milliseconds of grid disturbances, a capability delivered by SolarEdge’s battery technology.
The partnership combines the strengths of SolarEdge’s advanced lithium-ion battery technology, which features high power performance, high charge/discharge efficiency and high cycle life, with Pacific Energy’s vertically integrated service delivery model, which offers clients an unmatched experience from supplier negotiations, system design, manufacturing and installation, to operations and maintenance across an asset’s life.
Unprecedented demand for renewable integration is making power system design more complex than ever before, and tailored battery solutions are becoming critical to operational reliability.
Craig Blizard, Pacific Energy’s Chief Technology Officer, said: “We work with SolarEdge because they deliver a premium product, and because they understand that each of our clients’ battery needs are different. Collaborating so closely with an OEM of this calibre means we can maximise the technical capabilities of the battery technology to deliver sophisticated, fit-for-purpose systems that are helping decarbonise our clients’ operations, whether that’s by providing virtual spinning reserve and energy shifting capability, or by absorbing fault currents and stabilising renewable energy systems. Now, we have refined our capabilities to the point where we can confidently expand into the east coast market and use our industry leading BESS to respond to frequency changes and grid disturbances in the National Electricity Market.”
The partnership between these two global original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and one of Australia’s foremost independent power providers means they can work closely with clients to understand their mission-critical needs, and then design solutions to meet demanding loads and mitigate operational risks.
“Pacific Energy’s proven success in transitioning Australia’s energy market is a testimony to their deep understanding of the customer’s energy needs and operational excellence,” added Ofer Bokobza, General Manager of SolarEdge’s Energy Storage Division. “SolarEdge is pleased to partner with leading system integrators that help us design and develop the right products for the right mission profiles and help us advance our technology to meet the future needs of the market.”
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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/16102024/solaredge-and-pacific-energy-decarbonise-australian-mines/
