Pole mounted batteries
Pole‑mounted batteries outlines Ausgrid’s trial of local energy storage installed on power poles, designed to manage peak demand and improve network reliability.
Ausgrid's pole mounted battery trial is designed to test the viability of small pole-top batteries to support the network during peak demand or high solar export times. The trial will improve our understanding of the benefits, and technical challenges of deployment of small scale batteries in overhead network areas.
We also hope to demonstrate an increase in our network’s hosting capacity, reduce voltage imbalance and manage unbalanced and peak loads.
These learnings build on our understanding of a range of flexible solutions to support growth of renewable energy in our networks such as the Community Battery Trial and the STATCOM Low Voltage Regulator Trial.
What are the benefits?
- Pole-mounted batteries aim to relieve peak and minimum demand stress on networks.
- Better manage the export from rooftop solar generation.
- Will support increased uptake of solar - for the distributor feeder area connected to the pole mounted battery.
- Improving voltage management – improved reliability of energy supply.
- If successful, the pole-top battery systems may avoid the need for more expensive network augmentation that would otherwise be necessary to address network constraints.