The Bunyip Renewables Action Group (BRAG) is providing in principle support for a proposal by international renewable energy company RES to install a 400MW grid scale battery in Bunyip North.
The proposed 30 ha site is located on a narrow strip of cleared farmland between the Princes Highway and the major transmission lines linking the power stations in the Latrobe Valley to Melbourne.
The battery can be connected directly into the grid, and the Bunyip township is about 3km away on the other side of the highway
Development of cost-effective grid-scale batteries is the most important innovation in electricity grids since Thomas Edison initiated the development of the US power grid in 1882.
Batteries improve the reliability of electricity grids and introduction of low-cost renewable energy.
New solar and wind power are the cheapest forms of low-emission electricity with their costs continuing to fall significantly even when factoring in expenses of grid storage and transmission.
There are legitimate concerns about the fire risk of lithium-ion batteries, but these risks can be managed.
We don’t put our smartphones and associated battery packs into the holds of aeroplanes, and the types of battery proposed for Bunyip North are equipped with fire suppression technology and are surrounded by cleared farmland.
The operators of grid-scale batteries have strong financial incentives to reduce fire risk: loss of revenue and the replacement cost of batteries are substantial.
BRAG was approached by RES as a respected community organisation and we will continue to engage to ensure that community concerns are heard and responded to and that the promised tangible community benefits are delivered.
