The world’s biggest solar and battery storage plant – and Australia’s biggest solar farm – could begin construction this year, after the project was formally launched in Adelaide.
Known as the Kingfisher Project, the initiative will feature a solar PV plant and a battery storage facility that uses sophisticated system management processes and is connected to a grid with operational mining activities.
The project will be connected to the National Electricity Market (NEM) – the wholesale electricity market in Australia – and features two stages of development:
Stage 1 will deliver 20MWdc of solar PV plus a minimum of 2MWhr lithium-based battery storage. This stage will enable analysis and performance assessment of the plant in harsh desert conditions. Commercial operations are scheduled to get under way before September 2017
Stage 2 will deliver 100MW of solar PV with a minimum 20MWh of battery storage and is expected to operate commercially before the end of 2017. Given current volatility in the South Australian energy market, the battery storage may upgraded to an initial 40MWh.
The developer of the $1 billion South Australian project, Lyon Group, said construction of the plant, which will include 330MW of solar PV and a 100MW/400MWh battery storage system, would begin in the coming months, with operations set to commence by the end of 2017.
Taking a look at the Kingfisher – the World’s biggest solar and battery storage plant – picture above should be enough to consider the size of the project: impressive.
“Large-scale renewables and large-scale battery technology will play a central role in keeping our electricity system stable, reducing prices, and reducing emissions,” David Green (LyonGroup founder with Nicholas O’Day and Vanessa Sullivan) said.
“Right now, South Australia is at the forefront of an irrepressible global energy transition.
“Our team is at site right now, today. Timing is critical and we are moving forward”.
Here below some of the numbers and a tentative timeline for the projects now in the makings.
