Australia's first large-scale solar and battery plant is connected.

Lakeland project, Cooktown, far north Queensland (RenewEconomy)

The first large-scale solar and big battery storage installation in Australia - the Lakeland project near Cooktown in far north Queensland - has been officially connected to the grid. It is at the edge of the very large electricity grid of eastern Australia where electricity supply is not always reliable.

With a smallish population to support, it is a relatively small system of 10.8KW of solar and 1.4MW/5.3MWh of battery storage. Importantly, the system will firm up supply of solar power to the grid and provide ‘islanding’ for the local community whereby homes and businesses can remain connected while there is a fault elsewhere.

This deliberate ‘islanding’ will be a test case where a section of the grid continues to provide power while disconnected from the main grid. A test case that could prove to be important for those areas that are at the extremes of grids or prone to natural disasters such as bushfires, cyclones or floods.

Further reading: Australia’s first large scale solar + storage plant connected to the grid. RenewEconomy, February 19, 2018.