Magellan Power has developed a commercial scale energy storage system that has been installed at TransGrid, owner and operator of the high voltage electricity transmission network in NSW.
The system has cut down power use at the utility by 180kWh at its western Sydney site in Eastern Creek.
According to a TransGrid spokesperson the system has been designed to reduce electrical demand on site by up to 50 per cent at peak times, and aims to facilitate electricity demand management research, development and education in NSW.
The Australian designed and made energy storage equipment supplied to the project includes: state of the art bi-directional inverter and switch gear; lithium polymer batteries from Kokam; a 20ft container with reflective paint and insulation to reduce internal heat; closed loop air circulation to reduce heat generated inside with the aim of running the equipment without air conditioning.
The project involves the installation of 100kWh using two different designs of solar panels, plus SMA and Aurora inverters to convert the solar into grid power and energy storage using lithium polymer batteries.
The equipment is programmed to charge the battery to 100 per cent at night when electricity is at a lower cost, and discharge at the time of peak power use.