Three University of Wollongong research teams will this year begin delving into ways of storing renewable energy simply and cheaply, in a $10.6 million dollar project.
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The Federal Government injected $2.7 million into the research as part of their commitment to source 20 per cent of Australia’s power generation from renewables like solar, wind and wave by 2020.
The research involves developing a low-cost, high-density battery storage using sodium, and then testing it in a residential and industrial setting.
A small battery pack will be installed at the Illawarra Flame house at UOW’s Innovation Campus and a larger pack will be installed at Sydney Water’s Bondi pumping station.
UOW’s Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials director Professor Shi Xue Dou said the technology would be a game-changer in providing cheap, energy-dense storage.
“It will provide a path for Australia to reduce demand on the grid and the cost of infrastructure upgrades for utilities,” he said.
Sydney Water energy manager Philip Woods said it would be of great benefit to their operations with the potential to significantly lower their operating costs.
The UOW research groups involved include the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, the Australian Power Quality and Reliability Centre and the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre.
ARENA is a partner in this project. The organisation was established by the Australian Government to make renewable energy technologies more affordable and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia.
