Case Study

Energy storage for commercial renewable integration in South Australia

Low shot of solar panels with wind turbines in the background

Carrying out a detailed overview of various energy storage technologies to inform the development of a working prototype energy storage device

The situation

The project examined the role of a non-hydro Energy Storage Device (ESD) within the South Australian transmission system specifically designed to leverage value from the National Electricity Market through energy trading, ancillary and network services. The ESCRI project concept was initiated by Advisian, and undertaken with AGL and ElectraNet as consortium partners.

The key objective of the Phase 1 was to demonstrate that such storage adds value to renewable energy, with the ESD targeting that outcome as well as additional services to improve its business case.

Our approach

We examined the:

  • Regulatory environment in which such an asset would operate
  • Siting of such an asset
  • Energy storage technology including the state-of-the-art globally, its function and the procurement of the asset
  • Commercial framework under which the asset would be owned and output traded
  • The resulting business case in terms of ESD commercial return, risks and sensitivities

Results

The project delivered significant value to all participants. The work demonstrated the true status of energy storage in the current market contexts and illustrated the real-world commercial and regulatory constraints that exist at the time of writing. These findings are extremely valuable to inform participants of the true status of the market and the potential operational context for battery storage.

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