On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $6.6 million in funding to Edify Energy to build a 25MW/50MWh battery with advanced inverters adjacent to the 275MW Darlington Point Solar Farm in south west New South Wales.

ARENA’s funding has enabled Edify to expand the Project to a total of 150MW/300MWh. The entire project will be equipped with advanced inverters to help future-proof the Darlington Point area as renewable energy generation continues to expand in south western NSW.

Edify’s battery will be one of the most advanced battery systems in the National Electricity Market once built, further extending the capabilities of large-scale batteries equipped with advanced inverter technology by demonstrating that they can substitute for more traditional forms of synchronous generation and synchronous condensers.

The battery could help improve system strength in a weak part of the grid, unlocking opportunities to support more renewable energy generation.

The NSW Government will also provide $6.5 million in funding for the battery, as part of its $75 million Emerging Energy Program.

Advanced inverters enable grid-scale and grid-connected batteries to provide system stability services traditionally provided by synchronous generation, such as coal or gas. Finding new ways of providing stability to the electricity system will enable the grid to operate with higher shares of variable renewable energy. Last year, the Australian Energy Market Operator published its white paper on advanced inverters highlighting the critical importance of grid-scale batteries equipped with advanced inverter technology in supporting the energy transition.