Cammeray Community Battery the latest to allow wider access to solar savings
The Community Batteries for Household Solar program continues to deliver, with a new community battery system in Cammeray to provide shared renewable energy storage, helping locals save on energy bills and supporting the grid.
The Federal Government has officially launched a community battery in Cammeray, part of its $200 million Community Batteries for Household Solar program. This initiative aims to install over 420 community batteries across Australia, providing shared energy storage for up to 100,000 households.
The Cammeray battery, built and owned by Ausgrid, is a 200kW / 284kWh system designed to store excess rooftop solar energy and release it during peak demand. Around 350 local households are expected to benefit, with potential savings of about $200 a year.
Ausgrid, which received grants to deliver batteries in six locations, collaborated with the Cammeray community during the project’s planning phase. Feedback from residents helped shape the installation process, ensuring the battery’s placement at Ausgrid’s substation on Metcalfe Street aligns with local needs.
Residents within battery catchment areas can sign up for Ausgrid’s Energy Storage as a Service (ESaaS) program to access battery’s benefits. An online hub will provide real-time data, showing how much energy the battery stores and releases daily.
The Community Batteries for Household Solar program also supports broader adoption of rooftop solar and battery storage. Currently, while one in three Australian households has rooftop solar, only about 1 in 40 has battery storage. Community batteries allow more households to benefit from renewable energy without the upfront costs of purchasing individual battery systems.
“The rain doesn’t always fall, but we always have water on tap because we store it for when we need it,” said Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen.
“Batteries like the one in Cammeray will do the same thing with reliable and affordable renewable energy.”
Community batteries offer several advantages:
- Lower electricity bills by storing and sharing renewable energy.
- Enable households without solar panels to access renewable energy.
- Reduce strain on the electricity grid and help regulate voltage.
- Avoid costly upgrades to network infrastructure like poles and wires.
- Decrease emissions by supporting the use of clean energy.
The $200 million program is jointly administered by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources’ Business Grants Hub and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The Business Grants Hub has allocated $29 million to install batteries in 58 locations, while ARENA is overseeing $171 million in grants through two funding rounds.
