News & Discussion: Electricity Infrastructure

[Algernon]

Thanks PeFe. Both these developments are really exciting particularly for their longer durations compared to typical 2 hour batteries.

In the case of the Mannum battery alone, you're looking at 4 hour daily periods where it'll be able to discharge enough energy for 10% of state demand for 4 hours. From one battery!

[mattblack]

Thanks PeFe. Both these developments are really exciting particularly for their longer durations compared to typical 2 hour batteries.

In the case of the Mannum battery alone, you're looking at 4 hour daily periods where it'll be able to discharge enough energy for 10% of state demand for 4 hours. From one battery!

Can't wait till we have a nuclear power plant in 20years time to finally provide energy security to our inconsistant renewables

Really excited about these coming on line. Going to be really interesting to see what comes with 100% renewables and the opportunity that arises.

[PeFe]

Another project has received government approval....Gold Green Energy's Australian Plains solar farm and potential battery.

Located north of Eudunda this project appears to be very close to the South Australian-NSW interconnector (completed on the SA side....still waiting for NSW to get their act together)

Gold Green Energy received approval for a smaller project at Morgan last year, but that project seems to have made no progress.

Hopefully this new one secures finance.

From Renewables Now

Green Gold Energy wins permit for 200 MW solar park in S Australia

Aussie renewables developer Green Gold Energy said on Thursday it has secured development approval for a 200-MW solar project with a 400-MWh battery energy storage component in South Australia.

The Australian Plains Solar and Battery Energy Storage System (APSP) project will cover a 325-ha (803-acre) block of land situated in the Goyder council, within the Australian Plans region. It is planned to be connected to an existing substation and a future interconnector linking South Australia to New South Wales.

Once in operation, the photovoltaic (PV) park is estimated to have an output of around 417,967MWh, to be enough to supply around 72,267 homes annually. According to the project’s website, the plant will be designed to allow grazing activities to continue along with power generation.

Last summer, Green Gold was awarded a development permit for its 108-MW Morgan solar project, which comes with a BESS of 91.7 MWh. The company says it currently has more than 70 solar projects under development and 1.2 GW of projects in the pipeline. It also has a battery storage pipeline totalling 2.5 GWh.

https://renewablesnow.com/news/green-go ... a-1270474/

[PeFe]

South Australia is the cheapest place in Australia to install solar panels.

Australia is far cheaper than North America for the installation of solar panels.

From PV Magazine Australia

South Australia leads international rooftop solar cost rankings
February 7, 2025 David Carroll

Research company Compare the Market says Australia is leading the charge in residential solar installation costs with a study of every state, province and territory across Australia, Canada, and the United States (US) showing that installing rooftop PV in Australia is more than $2.00 (USD 1.25) per watt cheaper than the cheapest states and territories in both Canada and the US.



Compare the Market said South Australia, where more than 40% of South Australian homes already have rooftop solar installed, came in as the cheapest state for residential solar across every country studied, with an installation cost of $0.80/W.

Western Australia followed closely with a rate of $0.82/W with Queensland and New South Wales close behind with rates of $0.85/W and $0.87/W respectively. Victoria was next at a cost of $0.89/W, while Tasmania was Australia’s most expensive state with a rate of $1.08/W.
A new study of residential solar installation costs shows that South Australia has the lowest prices in Australia, while even the most expensive Australian states cost about one-third of those in the United States and Canada.


Image: Compare the Market

Compare the Market’s head of energy, Meredith O’Brien, said the results were a positive sign for Australian consumers, noting that while installing solar power capabilities requires an upfront cost, the long-term savings can be worth it.

“One of the biggest deterrents to solar power is the upfront costs required for installation, but depending on the size of the unit you choose, the savings can outweigh the cost quickly,” she said.

Nationally, Australia’s average residential solar installation cost was $0.89/W, more than $2.00/W cheaper than both Canada and the US.

The average residential solar installation rate in the US was $4.00/W, while Canada’s national average rate came in $3.65/W.

Across the board, Canada and the US’s cheapest states were about three times more expensive than Australian states.

Canada’s cheapest province, Ontario, was priced at a rate of $3.04/W while Nunavut as well as Newfoundland and Labrador had the most expensive solar install costs per watt at a tied average rate of $4.82/W.

The states of Maine and Massachusetts in the New England region came in tied as the most expensive regions in the US, at a rate of $4.41/W, while the southern state of Georgia was the cheapest at a rate of $3.58/W.

https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2 ... -rankings/

[Bobski]

Great news on the solar but could they not have found a more recent photo? I doubt many South Australians had rooftop solar when that was taken

[rev]

Mid-north battery and wind farm project gets green light
AGL’s proposed wind and battery project near Redhill has been granted development approval by the state government.


A render of AGL's proposed Barn Hill Wind Farm and Battery Project. Via: AGL

A major wind farm and battery system near Red Hill in the state’s mid-north has been granted state government approval, paving the way forward for AGL ahead of its final investment decision on the project later this year.

The state government approved the project in late January.

If it goes ahead, the Barn Hill Wind Farm and Battery Project will include a wind farm with capacity of up to 360 MW, a new transmission connection, and eventually a 270 MW battery that can provide up to four hours of storage.

It will sit nearly 5 km south-west of Redhill in the state’s mid-north, with the windfarm to be located across the hilltops between the Snowtown Wind Farm and the Clements Gap Wind Farm.


A render of AGL’s proposed Barn Hill Wind Farm and Battery Project. Photo: AGL

AGL acquired the project in 2009 but sought new approvals in 2024 after expanding its scope to include larger wind turbines and a potential battery.

AGL says that while the final investment decision for the wind farm and associated infrastructure is expected in late 2025, any decision on whether to proceed with the battery is “expected to come later”.

“This staged approach is influenced by factors such as AGL’s generation portfolio needs, capital deployment, procurement processes, critical equipment lead times and connection approval timelines,” AGL said.

The project is expected to have up to 50 turbines which would be able to power 208,000 homes in South Australia per year.

AGL opened a 250 MW grid-scale battery the size of a football field on Torrens Island in 2023 capable of storing enough power to electrify 75,000 homes for one hour.

“South Australia is a leader in renewable energy generation, and we are proud of our role in providing our South Australian customers with energy,” AGL COO Markus Brokhof said.

“Subject to the Final Investment Decision, this project is expected to create 200 jobs during construction and up to 20 during operations.

“The Barn Hill Wind Farm and Battery project is an important part of AGL’s growing development pipeline as we pursue our ambition to add 12 GW of renewables and firming capacity by the end of 2035.”

Brokhof said AGL would “work with the local community, including landowners, Traditional Owners, councils and local residents as we work towards commencement of construction”.

Mayor of the Wakefield Regional Council Rodney Reid welcomed the additional wind farm capacity in his region.

“Wakefield Regional Council is pleased to have another wind farm development in our region,” he said.

SA Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis also welcomed the project.

“South Australia is rightly recognised as a leader in the renewable energy transition and development approval for AGL’s proposed Barn Wind Farm and Battery project is further evidence of that,” Koutsantonis said.

“The isn’t just about generation, storage and firming capacity – it’s about jobs, with AGL anticipating the creation of around 200 new roles during construction and up to 20 ongoing during operations.

“I look forward to AGL’s Final Investment Decision.”

https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/busin ... reen-light

[rev]

SA businesses keen on nuclear as energy prices bite
Hydrogen power has fallen out of favour for South Australian businesses which seem keen on the potential of nuclear energy amid spiking electricity prices and low confidence.

The South Australian Business Chamber’s latest survey of business expectations shows stronger confidence locally compared to the national rate, but despite improvement the key figure remains below the neutral score of 100.

At 93.8 points, South Australian confidence in the December quarter was up 7.5 points from the last quarter and was above the national confidence rate of 84.4 points.

But business confidence in SA has sat below the neutral score of 100 since December 2021, with just 21.7 per cent of respondents to the Chamber’s survey saying they believe the state’s economy will be somewhat stronger over the next year.

Respondents cited the cost of doing business as the main issue affecting their business, with 75.1 per cent noting that was top of mind.

“No matter what sector, no matter what size business, the cost-of-doing-business was their number one key concern right now,” SA Business Chamber CEO Andrew Kay told InDaily.

“When you start to unpack that, what are the cost concerns? Wages, cost of materials and inputs, cost of insurance, cost of energy.

“We see that businesses have now experienced three or four consecutive years of energy price increases. That cumulative effect of year-upon-year energy price rises are hurting businesses.”

Profit margins (54.8 per cent), government policies (50.5 per cent), staff and skills shortages (44.7 per cent), and economic factors (41.6 per cent) round out the top five issues affecting SA businesses, according to the survey.

Further, 24.3 per cent of respondents said their electricity bills increased by between 11-20 per cent over the past 12 months, showing ongoing cost increases “remain significant and continue to put upward pressure on prices”.

Kay said he expected conditions would “remain tough for a while” for SA businesses.

“The first interest rate cut won’t make a significant difference to the hip pocket, but it will improve confidence and sentiment, which is always a good thing,” he said.

“We’ll probably need to see another one or two hit before we really start to see it kick in.”

Ahead of the Federal Election, which is fast becoming a referendum on the future of nuclear power in Australia, the Business Chamber questioned respondents on their thoughts on the power source, noting its own “fuel-source agnostic view”.

While solar – by a considerable margin – had the most support among SA businesses (78.8 per cent), nuclear secured the second highest rate of support at 64 per cent.

This was followed by natural gas (63.6 per cent), wind (58.1 per cent), and hydrogen (52.1 per cent).

Support for hydrogen has fallen significantly by 9.4 percentage points in the space of 12 months, with the survey notably completed before the state government last week dumped its green hydrogen plans following the administration of the Whyalla Steelworks.

On nuclear, respondents were in favour of repealing the moratorium on nuclear power in SA (66.5 per cent), and the perceived benefits outweighed the concerns for the energy type.

The survey shows 67 per cent said nuclear would mean the state would be less reliant on other states for power, 64.4 per cent said it would mean the state could use existing uranium resources, and 64.2 per cent said it would result in investment and job creation.

Just half said lower costs were a benefit of nuclear, while 29.7 per cent said they had no concerns with the power source.

Meanwhile, the concern of nuclear waste was only an issue for 59.1 per cent of respondents, while the initial cost of establishment was a problem for 57.4 per cent and the possibility of an accident was an issue for 42.6 per cent of respondents.

Kay said he “wasn’t entirely surprised” by the response to nuclear.

“We’ve been hearing that in our discourse with members over the last year or so and certainly in public debate around energy of late nuclear seems to be becoming somewhat more prominent in the conversation,” he said.

“What’s interesting is that South Australian businesses are open to a mix. Solar still remains comfortably number one and that makes sense because our survey tells us that more than half of the businesses in this state have solar panels on their rooftop.

“It’s also worth noting that nuclear does still polarise. It also had the highest number of people strongly disapproving – one in five businesses disapprove.”

Kay said businesses were also concerned about cutting red tape, and that the Chamber was still calling on the state government to take action on payroll tax.

“Concern with payroll tax hasn’t change in this survey,” he said.

“When we asked businesses to give us something that the government could do to make their lives easier, certainly payroll tax and taxes in general were strongly commented on by businesses.

“They’d like to see, at the very least, the payroll tax threshold lifted – which hasn’t been moved since 2019.”

https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/busin ... rices-bite

[Waewick]

Doesn't give you much hope in the capacity of South Australia business owners.

We are worried about costs, let's invest in something that's going to be most expensive for us to invest in

[rubberman]

Doesn't give you much hope in the capacity of South Australia business owners.

We are worried about costs, let's invest in something that's going to be most expensive for us to invest in

The businesses that actually produce electricity have expressly rejected nuclear.

Perhaps those businesses that disagree with the professionals could risk their capital and stump up the money for a nuclear plant themselves.

I mean, if they truly believe the professionals are wrong, then what better way to do so is to build their own nuclear plants and profit.

I certainly hope they don't expect taxpayers to take that risk.

[PeFe]

The long delayed Palmer wind project about 50kms east of Adelaide given approval.

From Renew Economy

South Australia wind project gets planning approval after swapping to fewer but taller turbines South Australia wind project gets planning approval after swapping to fewer but taller turbines



A South Australian wind project that was previously stalled over environmental concerns has been given the greenlight thanks to advances in turbine technology.

Tilt Renewables’ Palmer wind project has been given the go ahead by South Australia’s State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP), thanks to a redesign that will see the project take up less space, with fewer but taller turbines and bigger setbacks from dwellings in the area.

The project, to be located 50 kilometres east of Adelaide between the townships of Palmer and Tungkillo, will be made up of 40 turbines with a maximum tip height of 220 metres.

The now 288 MW project is estimated to avoid 212,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, and is capable of powering the equivalent of 142,000 homes for the next 30 years, according to a statement from Tilt Renewables.

Tilt CEO Anthony Fowler said the farm, initially proposed in 2014, was ideally positioned to harness a strong and abundant wind resource.

“The area surrounding Palmer is a good location for a wind farm with a great wind resource, proximity to the existing electricity grid and a location on cleared farmland where grazing can co-exist,” he said.

In 2024, the project was awarded a contract under the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), the Federal Government’s renewable investment underwriting scheme designed to bolster the growth of renewables in the country. The CIS is pitted to deliver an additional 32 GW of generation and storage capacity by 2030.

When the project was initially proposed in 2014, it was for a wind farm comprising up to 114 turbines – significantly more than the 40 now approved – at a maximum height of 165 metres.

That proposal was unpopular, with 208 representations submitted during the public notification process, 150 of which objected to the farm.

A number of local landowners threw their weight behind a campaign to stop the project – relying in part on unsubstantiated claims that wind farms could cause myriad health problems from cardiac arrhythmia to vivid nightmares.

The controversy made it to the Supreme Court of South Australia which, in 2019, rejected a case brought against the farm based on these health claims.

Nevertheless, Fowler says the new redesign had made significant improvements to the project, with the Federal Environment Department, which had reviewed the updated project, confident that potential impacts to the environment had been circumvented or minimised.

“This change more than halves the number of turbines required and reduces the project area by over 5,000 hectares,” Fowler said.

Tilt said the project will include a community benefit fund worth more than $7 million, which the company says will go towards energy subsidies for those living closest to the farm, as well as funding for local health services.

The project is located on the land of the Peramangk people, and the project will also establish a separate Peramangk Partnership Fund of undisclosed amount.

Palmer is the second South Australian wind project this week to get the go ahead on a long-ago-proposed wind project with an updated plan involving fewer turbines and larger capacity.

Earlier this week, Australian coal giant AGL Energy gained new approvals for a South Australian wind project it initially bought in 2009, but sidelined in favour of coal.

The original Barn Hill project had approval for 62 turbines and around 150 MW in capacity, whereas the new design will have up to 50 larger turbines with a vastly increased capacity of up to 360 MW, as well as a big battery sized at up to 270 MW and 1080 MWh.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/south-austr ... -turbines/

[NTRabbit]

Doesn't give you much hope in the capacity of South Australia business owners.

We are worried about costs, let's invest in something that's going to be most expensive for us to invest in

People who describe themselves as small business owners are generally the stupidest people you've ever met in your life. Never seen a demographic of people so ruthlessly pursue such massively self defeating causes.

[SBD]

I'm hearing there is widespread power outage on Yorke Peninsula today, and it's caused by pollution on insulators on ElectraNet's transmission line.

I thought I'd heard that the Dalrymple Battery and Wattle Point Wind Farm were set up by SAPN to be able to run the peninsula as an isolated network. Has anyone heard we they can't just disconnect from Electranet and continue to operate until the transmission line is cleaned up? What have I missed?

[Listy]

It's been happening for weeks - the salt build up is occurring on the insulators on the tops of almost every power pole across the area - its not the main transmission lines that are necessarily problematic. The only solution is to wash each insulator (ie it needs to rain)

[rev]

Doesn't give you much hope in the capacity of South Australia business owners.

We are worried about costs, let's invest in something that's going to be most expensive for us to invest in

People who describe themselves as small business owners are generally the stupidest people you've ever met in your life. Never seen a demographic of people so ruthlessly pursue such massively self defeating causes.

Interesting take on the back bone of the Australian economy. The people you just described as the stupidest people you've ever met, are responsible for 1/3 of the Australia's GDP, and employ over 5 million Australians out of a total workforce of roughly 14 million.



Power prices are going up another 9-10% come July 1.

Aren't prices meant to be coming down? That's what we keep being told. This battery farm, this solar farm, will bring down prices. But the opposite keeps happening. Every single time.
Which coal powered station closing down is to blame for this price increase.

[PeFe]

I'm hearing there is widespread power outage on Yorke Peninsula today, and it's caused by pollution on insulators on ElectraNet's transmission line.

I thought I'd heard that the Dalrymple Battery and Wattle Point Wind Farm were set up by SAPN to be able to run the peninsula as an isolated network. Has anyone heard we they can't just disconnect from Electranet and continue to operate until the transmission line is cleaned up? What have I missed?

I wondered too why the Dalrymple battery hasn't been swung into action but the more I read the issue is transmission lines.....not shortage of power.

You can have 8 sources of power but if there are no transmission lines to distribute it......

Rev wrote

Interesting take on the back bone of the Australian economy. The people you just described as the stupidest people you've ever met, are responsible for 1/3 of the Australia's GDP, and employ over 5 million Australians out of a total workforce of roughly 14 million.



Power prices are going up another 9-10% come July 1.

Aren't prices meant to be coming down? That's what we keep being told. This battery farm, this solar farm, will bring down prices. But the opposite keeps happening. Every single time.
Which coal powered station closing down is to blame for this price increase.

I believe the increase in South Australia will be 5.1%......very disappointing considering the amount of time solar and wind drag down the wholesale cost of electricity in South Australia (ie every day)

"Network" costs are another feature of our retail bills.....the maintenance and repair of the transmission and distribution network are covered here. Yorke Peninsula repairs will be paid for out of this contingency.