SA under the spotlight at energy storage conference

Tickets are now available for the fifth annual Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition (AES 2018), to be held from 23–24 May in Adelaide. The conference is set to explore how major projects, such as those currently being undertaken in South Australia, are impacting the energy storage sector.

Following the completion of the world’s biggest lithium-ion battery in the state in 2017, the South Australian Government has now unveiled plans to build the world’s largest virtual power plant. The $800 million project will involve the rollout of at least 50,000 home solar systems that, when combined, will create a virtual power plant that generates 250 MW of electricity.

Teaming up with Tesla founder Elon Musk, SA Premier Jay Weatherill said that under the plan, 24,000 housing trust homes are set to have new systems installed, with the aim of 50,000 households participating over the next four years. The move is expected to cut electricity bills by 30%.

The SA Produce Market also announced a project that will support the state’s transition to a low-carbon energy system with the installation of 1600 solar panels and a large lithium-ion battery in its facility at Pooraka. The $10.5 million microgrid is understood to be the largest private solar PV system in SA, comprising a 4.2 MWh lithium-ion battery, a 2.5 MW solar PV system and a 2.5 MW on-site generator, which at full capacity will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 4500 homes.

AES 2018 will take a closer look at how projects like these are impacting the sector, as well as other trends and technological advances that are ensuring Australia’s renewable energy future. It will explore the huge potential of emerging storage technologies, featuring companies and experts whose products and technical innovations are providing energy-storage solutions at the residential, commercial and grid levels.

Delegates will have the opportunity to hear a keynote presentation from the chairman of GFG Alliance and majority shareholder of SIMEC Zen Energy, Sanjeev Gupta, who has become a major player in the Australian energy sector. Other speakers include:

• Dr William Golove, Vice President, Business Development at Amber Kinetics
• Mark Twidell, Director at Tesla
• Rebecca Knol, CEO of the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy
• Simon Hackett, Non-executive Director and Technology Evangelist, Redflow Limited
• Valeska Gottke, Senior Expert for Communications and Markets at BVES

Attendees can register now for early-bird conference tickets or the free exhibition by visiting www.australianenergystorage.com.au/register.