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 battery 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 200 MW photovoltaic generation plant.
The Solar River Project will involve a 200 MW PV array, including over 640,000 solar panels, and the installation of GE’s 100 MW, 3-hour battery storage system, which could transfer up to 400 MWh of electricity per day, one of the largest batteries in the Southern Hemisphere. The Solar River Project 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 assist in smoothing peaks, contributing to a more stable network.
The Solar River Project received Crown Development Approval in June 2018, and Stage 1 of the project is intended to see the first electricity generated in early 2021.