Sunshine Community Battery

The Sunshine Community Battery is a 'front of meter' battery. This means it is connected directly to the low voltage network local powerlines run by energy distributor, Powercor.

It is a 500kWh battery with a capacity of 240kW, which can provide energy to dozens of houses across the local low-voltage network.

The main purpose of a front-of-meter battery is to soak up energy produced by local rooftop solar when it is abundant on the grid and to sell it back to the grid when energy prices are high. By doing so, the battery absorbs and releases energy during power surges and lows. As a result, front-of-meter community batteries can make better use of renewable energy on the local network and improve grid resilience, reducing the occurrences of blackouts and reducing the need for expensive network upgrades.

The key benefits of front-of-meter community batteries are:

• Allowing more local rooftop solar installations
• Enabling more use of renewable energy on the electricity grid
• Supporting stability and resilience of the electricity network
• Generating income which can be reinvested into community energy projects

Gresham Way Reserve is owned and managed by Council and this site is uniquely connected to a part of the local electricity network with a high amount of rooftop solar. Installing the battery at this location supports further installations of rooftop solar in this area. Council received permission from Powercor to connect the battery to this part of the network.

Council also had to consider distance of the battery from residences and overhanging trees due to noise and safety requirements.

Community battery units will make some noise when charging and discharging, due to operation of an internal fan and air conditioning unit. This occurs during the day and in the evening, especially during peak demand.

The fan will typically not run at night, when there is little grid demand. The noise may range from about 50-70 decibels at 1 metre from the unit. 50 dB is equivalent to the sound of a conversation at home, and 70 dB is equivalent to a vacuum cleaner.

The Sunshine Community Battery is a front-of-meter battery, meaning it’s connected directly to the low-voltage network and not directly to adjacent homes and businesses.

The objectives of this battery are primarily to enable the grid to take up more renewable energy, as consistent with our Climate Emergency Plan.

The operational model of the Sunshine Community Battery will mean that profits made by buying low and selling high, and other grid services, will cover the cost of battery maintenance with any further profit going towards community energy projects to benefit the Brimbank community.

Annual profit will continue to be monitored based on operational settings.

Yes, community batteries are safe. Many community batteries have been installed around Australia and are safely operating.

Battery modules undergo extensive testing for fire risk and must pass strict tests to be installed on the electricity network. A fire report is conducted at the project design stage to ensure risks are minimised as part of the design of any new community battery. Community batteries also have communications and monitoring systems with inbuilt fire suppression which can automatically react when sensing a system malfunction.

To protect the battery from external risks, the battery is elevated above the newly updated Melbourne Water flood levels by a concrete plinth. The battery also has lighting protection.

The battery is protected from vandalism by its robust exterior and locks, as well as clear signage communicating electrical dangers.