GE to Integrate 300 MWh Storage Facility With 200 MW Solar Plant in Australia

GE selected for the supply and integration of one of the largest grid-scale storage technology hybrid deployment in South Australia

The Solar River Project and GE Renewable Energy have announced that GE has been selected for the supply and integration of one of the largest grid-scale storage technology hybrid deployment to be installed for the Solar River Project in South Australia. The energy storage system, called the Reservoir, will be coupled to a large 200 MW photovoltaic generation plant.

The Solar River Project CEO Jason May said, “The award of the battery to GE is another major milestone for the project. GE is a world leader in renewable energy storage technology, and we are very excited to have them on board. General Electric brings cutting-edge technology to South Australia, by delivering huge energy transfer capacity with an intelligent operating system.”

The Project will see a 200-megawatt PV array, which includes more than 640,000 solar panels and the installation of GE’s 100-MW, 3 hours battery storage system, delivering almost 300 MWh storage capacity, which could transfer up to 400 megawatt-hours of electricity per day, one of the largest batteries in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Solar River Project, one of the world’s largest grid-scale hybrid renewable projects, will be located in South Australia’s Mid North, halfway between Burra and Morgan, and aims to supply enough affordable and reliable renewable energy to power 90,000 South Australian homes.

The South Australia Electricity Grid has one of the peakiest loads in the world, and the battery energy storage system can allow the plant to deliver firm generation and assist in smoothing peaks, contributing to a more stable network for years to come. The storage system is designed to capture the energy produced by the solar sources, for use in time of power demand, which can increase the availability of the plant and enable optimal use of the solar PVs.

Prakash Chandra, Renewable Hybrids CEO, GE Renewable Energy, said that the project will be a flagship for the renewable energy industry and for GE’s role in building out Renewable Hybrid plants.

“Hybrid solutions have become a reality, driven by the demand for reliable and dispatchable renewable energy, which we can integrate using our proprietary controls technology to optimise asset and customer outcomes. We are proud to have been selected by the Solar River Project to deliver this very important project that will benefit a large community in this part of the world,” he said.

Stage 1 of the project is intended to see the first electricity generated in early 2021.