Renewables and battery storage will replace gas as South Australia’s main source of electricity within 10 years as stated by industry analysts.
According to a report by Wood Mackenzie, SA’s energy transition could be a leading case study on managing a power system in transition for other mature markets to follow.
The news comes as the South Australian government goes ahead with plans to build their own new gas generator and AGL pursues to build a new gas station to replace part of its old Torrens Island gas generator.
According to Wood Mackenzie’s renewables principal analyst, Bikal Pokharel, by the year 2025 battery storage will be cheaper than open cycle gas turbines in managing peak loads. According to the analysis by Greentech Media Research and Wood Mackenzie, solar battery costs will go down by 50% by 2025.
The researchers estimated that 1600 MWh of battery storage would be enough to satisfy South Australia’s energy requirements by 2025. It is 4x the capacity and 12x the storage of the new Tesla Hornsdale facility, but it would be a different type of battery system since the said facility is designed for energy security and not for residual peak supply.
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Solar Trust Centre Team
