Community battery storage trials

The main WA electricity grid is adapting and evolving as the demand for distributed energy resources (DER) including rooftop solar and community batteries grows across the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).

We’ve been working with industry participants, including the WA State Government, to run Australian-first pilot programs, giving our customers opportunities to access and use excess electricity generated from their rooftop solar.

In these pilots, excess energy generated from rooftop solar during the day can be virtually# stored in community battery energy storage systems and used by participating households during peak times and when their rooftop solar systems aren't generating electricity. 

What is a community battery?

Our community battery trials

At Synergy, we’ve worked with organisations such as Western Power, LendLease and the WA government to run several trials and pilots throughout the SWIS to test the effectiveness and benefits of community batteries. 

These trials were part of two major projects: our Alkimos Beach Energy Trial and the PowerBank pilot.

Community battery locations

The community batteries from the trials are located across WA within the SWIS network. 

The locations were selected based on areas where there were high number of customers with rooftop solar systems to test the electricity storage and discharge capabilities of community batteries.

The Alkimos Beach Energy rial occurred within the community of Alkimos Beach estate.

The PowerBank pilot was conducted in there phases and batteries were located within the communities of Ellenbrook, Kalgoorlie, Ashby, Canning Vale, Two Rocks, Vasse, Port Kennedy, Yokine, Falcon, Parmelia and Meadow Springs.

The trial results

Participants were able to trial a community battery and receive the benefit of being able to access and use their excess solar electricity that would normally be fed back into the electricity network subject to their virtual# storage capacity and the applicable pilot or trial terms and conditions. 

The results of our community battery pilots have been positive from a customer perspective. Participants were generally happy with the impact on their electricity costs, generally resulting in electricity cost saving and Synergy received positive feedback around participants becoming more conscious of their electricity use. 

The trials also allowed us to test parameters for time-of-use electricity plans and, as a result, refine the electricity plans that we offer to our customers. The data that we gathered throughout the trials has been, and continues to be, invaluable. We’re using this data to further understand our customers’ behaviours and needs, to help us in providing options for our customers and a more sustainable energy supply.

Alkimos Beach Energy Trial

PowerBank Pilot

The community battery journey so far

What's next?

The Alkimos Beach Energy Trial and each phase of the PowerBank has concluded. Customers who could be eligible to participate in future community battery trials and pilots will be contacted to express their interest to participate when opportunities are available. 

The community batteries from the pilots will remain connected to the network to help provide reliable electricity to customers across the SWIS.

Learn more about our battery trials

^# By virtual, we mean there is no physical battery connected to the premises storing electricity generated. Individual customers were allocated virtual storage capacity in the battery based on the storage option selected and the relevant pilot terms and conditions.

~ Average solar PV system sizes of Synergy residential customers as at 1 February 2019.

* Calculated by reference to the total collective savings of all 119 participants in the Alkimos Beach Energy Trial, based on comparing the costs participants incurred on the Peak Demand Saver Plan   (including daily supply charges and the daily subscription fee) while a participant in the trial against the costs they would have incurred on the standard Synergy Home Plan (A1) (the regulated residential tariff) for the same period. The average total savings per participant is indicative only and determined by dividing the total collective savings by the number of pilot participants  . The average saving per bill is indicative only and determined by dividing the average total saving per participant by the number of bills a participant would have received if they were on the trial for its entire duration.

~ Calculated by reference to the total collective savings of all 533 participants across all phases of the PowerBank pilot, based on comparing the costs the participants incurred on the applicable product while a participant in the pilot (including daily supply charges and the daily subscription fee) against the costs they would have incurred on the standard Synergy Home Plan (A1) (the regulated residential tariff) for the same period. The average total savings per participant is indicative only and determined by dividing the total collective savings by the number of pilot participants  . The average total saving per bill is indicative only and determined by dividing the average total savings per participant by the number of bills a participant would have received if they were on the trial for its entire duration.

+ The average amount of energy stored per day per participant is indicative only and determined by dividing the total amount of energy stored in the community batteries that were part of the PowerBank pilot by the number of participants.  

++ The average amount of energy consumed from the battery per day per participant is indicative only  based on the total amount of energy discharged from the community batteries that were part of the PowerBank pilot each day to offset participants' electricity consumption divided by the number of participants. Participants were only permitted to consume the equivalent of what they had virtually stored in the battery each day, which was subject to their individual storage allocation option which in some cases was only 6KWh.