Australia aims to unlock battery storage revolution

According to Clean Energy Council (CEC) Chief Executive Kane Thornton, battery storage has massive potential in Australia. It can help consumers better manage their own electricity use, alleviate the pressures on the electricity network, and maximize the advantage of the more than 1.5 million solar systems already installed on homes.

A new policy paper released today by the Council lists a number of initiatives that would accelerate the uptake of the battery storage in the country. The most critical support measure, it says, is to design new network distribution tariffs in a way that allows customers to realize the full value of installing storage, and ensure that future structural changes to tariffs are not at the detriment of these consumer investments.

“The commercial case for battery storage is compelling, and does not therefore require a subsidy. Battery storage simply requires tariffs that can allow consumers to realize the economic benefits of an investment in the technology,” the paper says.

It underlines that battery storage can reduce demand for electricity at peak times and lower the costs on the entire electricity system. The current electricity tariff structures, however, do not allow those benefits to flow to private householders.

Another key point is the safety of battery storage systems: there is currently no regulatory requirement for an installer to have qualifications and sufficient competency for the installment or to install product that meets a certain standard. CEC is currently working on these standards, and is calling on governments to ensure that an appropriate regulatory framework is established.

“While subsidies are not required to encourage the adoption of storage technology by households, there is a clear role for government and industry to work together so Australia can be a world leader in the roll-out of battery storage solutions,” Thornton said in the press release.

Just as CEC is calling out to industrialists and politicians to work together and ensure the country’s battery storage revolution, Redflow, an Australian battery storage developer, is preparing the launch of its new household “plug and play” battery later this month. The company seems to share the optimism of CEC regarding the future of home energy storage in Australia, which, it says, can serve as “the key proving-ground for the battery industry.”