WA Plans Six Community Batteries with $3 Million Fed Funding

WA electricity network, Western Power and WA electricity retailer, Synergy are the latest community battery grant winners, securing $3 million to build six community batteries.

The grants under the federal government’s Community Batteries for Household Solar program will  support batteries connected to WA’s electricity grid in Bayswater, Coogee, Dianella, Kinross, Port Kennedy and Stratton and help integrate more rooftop solar in Western Australia.

The joint Western Power and Synergy application will see six community batteries deployed to suburbs with high rooftop solar penetration, and connected to WA’s electricity grid.

The state government said the planned batteries are being “deployed to suburbs with high rooftop solar penetration”.

Fact checking that claim with SQ’s ‘Solar In Your Location‘ tool (using data to March 2023) paints an impressive picture – considering the Australian averages of 34 solar power systems per dwelling and 848 Watts installed per person:

• Bayswater (6053) has 2,422 small-scale systems, equating to 938 watts per person and 36 systems per 100 dwellings.
• Coogee (6166) powers through with 2,019 systems, an outstanding 1,149 watts per person, and 49 systems per 100 dwellings.
• Dianella (6059) hosts 3,713 systems, producing 760 watts per person and just beating the Australian system-per-dwelling average with 36.
• Kinross (6028) shines bright with 5,219 systems, a staggering 1,166 watts per person, and a whopping 64 systems per 100 dwellings.
• Port Kennedy (6172) beams with 3,325 systems, delivering 1,171 watts per person and 69 systems per 100 dwellings.
• Stratton (6056) is no slouch either, boasting 7,986 systems, offering 1,062 watts per person and 45 systems per 100 dwellings.

Western Power and Synergy are currently working with local governments in each location, and have received in-principle support for the projects.

The batteries are expected to be around the same size as the two organisations’ PowerBank fleet: approximately 500kWh each.

Work begins next month and the batteries should be installed by March 2025.

“With one in three WA homes owning rooftop solar, it’s essential that we harness solar energy efficiently to deliver better outcomes for the community”, energy minister Bill Johnson said.

 

“Western Power and Synergy are working with Energy Policy WA to implement this community battery rollout to the initial six locations with work also progressing for the next round of Federal Government funding.

First phase grants under the program have led to announcements in regional NSW and Victoria, but have led to controversy in metro Sydney LGAs.