Grid connection granted to 1.3GWh BESS in Australia
Image courtesy SMA
The Eurimbula Solar Farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) has been granted connection approval to connect to Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM).
The project comprises 696MW of solar photovoltaic capacity and a 666MW/1332MWh BESS.
Located in Queensland’s Central Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), the project is being run by renewable energy developer Elements Green and PV and storage system inverter tech developer SMA.
The hybrid project secured grid connection approval from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Powerlink under clause 5.3.4A of the NER. The approval confirms the project’s compliance with technical grid connection requirements, including comprehensive modelling and assessment of system strength, inertia, and frequency response capabilities.
According to the partners in a release, Eurimbula will be among the first utility-scale hybrid projects in the NEM to deploy grid-forming technology at this magnitude.
SMA’s grid-forming inverters will enable the BESS to deliver essential services—including fast frequency response, synthetic inertia, and fault ride-through—functions traditionally provided by synchronous generators.
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Commenting in a release was Tim Hale, director of sales – Large Scale & Projects at SMA Australia:
“This project is a big step up for SMA and the renewables sector in Australia. It will be the largest NEM-connected solar & battery hybrid project in Australia, and its successful development thus far clearly demonstrates how SMA’s grid-forming technology can be scaled to meet the NEM’s needs.
“Grid events such as the recent blackout in Spain highlight the vulnerabilities of power systems with increasing levels of renewable generation. It is more important than ever to invest in fast-acting, modern system strength solutions — like grid-forming batteries — to support solar and wind generation whilst maintaining system reliability.”
Said Toby Roberts, country director Australia at Elements Green: “ We are proud to have achieved this approval and the technical support from SMA has been invaluable. Securing the 5.3.4A letter brings us significantly closer to breaking ground this year. We are now focused on completing the remaining approvals to enter the construction phase as planned.”
SMA Australia’s hybrid system delivery includes:
- Solar PV: 180 x MVPS 4200-S2 systems with Sunny Central 4200-UP inverters
- Battery Storage: 212 x MVPS 4200-S2 systems with Sunny Central Storage 3600-UP-XT inverters
- Grid Integration: 4 x SMA Power Plant Managers (PPM), each managing a separate Dispatchable Unit Identifier (DUID) for NEM compliance and dispatchability
Eurimbula marks London-based Elements Green’s first development in the Australian market and the country’s largest hybrid energy project to date, says the company.
The company has a global development pipeline of over 14GW, including the Staythorpe Hybrid Project (>1 GWp PV, 360 MW BESS) in the United Kingdom and several recently approved storage assets across Europe.
