Development partners LandCorp and Lend Lease along with Western Australian energy retailer Synergy and the
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will deliver Australia’s first energy storage trial using innovative
storage technology.
The trial is being undertaken at the residential community level at Alkimos Beach, a master-planned residential community in Perth’s northern coastal suburbs.
Total cost of the trial is approximately $6.7m over the four year period; this includes $3.3m funding from ARENA and financial and in-kind contributions by Synergy, Lend Lease and LandCorp.
Infrastructure planning is underway and volunteer participant recruitment will commence soon, with the trial planned to start in early 2016 for a period of four years.
It is expected more than 100 Alkimos Beach residents will volunteer to participate in the trial that will provide a better understanding of how community scale infrastructure combined with energy efficiency incentives may help manage and reduce household energy costs.
Lend Lease CEO of property business in Australia Tarun Gupta, said that Lend Lease and LandCorp have taken
a long-term view to create an environmentally conscious sustainable community at Alkimos Beach, and that the
energy trial would complement a range of initiatives already underway.
“The partnership between LandCorp and Lend Lease at Alkimos Beach supported the concept to trial energy storage technology coupled with energy efficiency incentives,” he said.
“Currently, every purchaser at Alkimos Beach receives an Energy Smart Home Package and as part of that every
home has solar panels, so thanks to the forward planning of the development partners we were able to provide
Synergy with a community that already has the essential infrastructure in new dwellings in place to participate.
“This is a real coup for Alkimos Beach and we’re proud to be part of a trial that could help change the way energy is delivered to communities internationally," Gupta said.
The trial will test a combination of five key initiatives:
An Energy Smart Home Package – including rebates towards a gas boosted solar hot water system, a solar photovoltaic system and additional energy efficiency devices;
A community-scale energy storage device using a Lithium Ion energy storage system;
New electricity retail models including products and/or services;
A 30 minute interval metering and data platform;
An education program to help participating residents effectively manage their energy usage and reduce
their overall electricity consumption.
LandCorp chief executive officer Frank Marra said that LandCorp was focused on growing WA in a planned and
sustainable way, and one of the ways to do this was through strategic infrastructure developments such as the
Alkimos Beach energy storage trial.
“LandCorp is pleased to support the partners in the energy trial that will deliver benefit to not only Alkimos Beach residents but potentially all Western Australians," Marra said.
“By partnering with others, in this case Lend Lease, Synergy, ARENA, the Water Corporation, the Department of Planning and the City of Wanneroo, we can deliver the highest standards of development possible.”
Alkimos Beach is a partnership between LandCorp and Lend Lease.