Want to share energy with your neighbour? Community batteries could decrease power bills throughout Gippsland

A new report from Climate Council says Victoria is leading the way in community-scale battery installations. 

But what are community batteries – and how are they different from household or “big” batteries?

Building a battery future

Australia built its first grid-scale battery in Hornsdale, South Australia in 2017. Since then there have been 33 additional big batteries built in Australia and there are more on the way.

In Latrobe Valley, construction began on the Wooreen Energy Storage System in February this year. This system will be able to power 230,000 homes for over four-hours before needing to be recharged.

In addition to these large battery storage sites, an estimated 300,000 Australians have added batteries to their homes in combination with rooftop solar. 

Solar + Batteries = Success?

The Climate Council estimates that 8.4 percent of Victorian homes with solar panels also have a household battery. 

This number is likely to increase as the federal government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which provides households with a 30 percent upfront subsidy (about $4,000) on home battery installations, continues.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said a household with existing rooftop solar could save up to $1,100 off their power bill every year.

Add a battery on top of that and the department estimates that a household could save up to $2,300 a year, which is around 90 percent of a typical family electricity bill.

The Gippsland Monitor spoke to solar panel and battery installer Blake Edwards, who operates a Solar Run franchise in Drouin. Blake estimates that two out of three houses he installs solar panels on are also choosing to install a home battery.

But other than the big battery farms and home storage, there is another type of battery storage that is taking off in Victoria, these are community or neighbourhood batteries.

What is a community battery?

Community batteries act like a shared energy bank for households and businesses. The batteries store the excess energy generated during sunny days from rooftop solar. This energy can then be drawn on by the surrounding community when required.

In an effort to decrease residential power bills and increase the amount of people who have access to renewable energy sources, state and federal governments are rolling out community battery schemes.

In Victoria, this is the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program, which allows businesses, agencies, local governments or co-operatives to apply for grants of up to $300,000 to install batteries in neighbourhoods.

These shared batteries can provide power to homes, businesses and local hubs when disasters strike and power supplies are disrupted.

According to the Climate Council, there are 421 community batteries in Australia. 140 of these batteries are in Victoria, the most out of any state.

Where will these community batteries be in Gippsland?

In May last year AusNet released an expression of interest to install 10 community batteries around Victoria. It has been approved to do so and one of the batteries will be located in Traralgon.

Mondo Power has been constructing seven community batteries on Phillip Island. They plan to have all seven batteries fully operational by the end of July this year. 

Mondo Power says that a portion of the battery’s operating income will be “allocated annually to community-focused initiatives in collaboration with Bass Coast Shire and community group Totally Renewable Phillip Island”.

The Salvation Army has won grants to install batteries in Leongatha and Bairnsdale. The organisation says these batteries will be located at “Salvos Stores, Foodbanks, Domestic Violence Refuges, Emergency Crisis Accommodation, Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centres and community centres”.

Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance will be installing a community battery on a council owned public facility in Korumburra.

Venus Bay Community Centre is installing a community battery-backup system in Tarwin Lower to maintain power and enhance community resilience during disaster recovery.

These battery projects are expected to be finished by August 1 this year.