Home-grown batteries to be part of Qld's energy future

Sustainable iron flow batteries from a Queensland-based, Australian-owned energy storage company are on their way to becoming part of Queensland’s energy transition plan.

Energy Storage Industries – Asia Pacific (ESI) has announced that its long-duration, grid-scale batteries have completed the final stage of commissioning, with the first production batteries now being transported to a customer’s pilot site.

ESI Managing Director Stuart Parry said the value of iron flow technology was being recognised across industry and government in Queensland and around Australia.

“Queensland is at the forefront of battery technology development and ESI is helping reinforce this state’s reputation as a leader in the renewable energy economy,” he said. “We will continue to deliver on the promise of our leading-edge technology, which is critical to supplying Queensland’s and Australia’s long-term, low-carbon energy needs.”

In January an ESI battery completed commissioning at the National Battery Testing Centre at Banyo in Brisbane, where it demonstrated its capabilities to capture surplus energy and return it to the grid at peak times. During two months of examination by Queensland University of Technology experts, the battery proved capable of performing in Australia’s harsh conditions.

Later in January, ESI welcomed representatives of leading energy operators including the Queensland Government-owned Stanwell Corporation, a major provider of electricity and energy solutions, to Banyo to inspect its fully recyclable technology.

At the same time, the next 10 battery systems manufactured by ESI’s partner ESS Inc. in the United States started their journey across the Pacific, bound for the first of ESI’s client pilot sites. Ten additional battery systems will follow in coming weeks. From 2024 onward iron flow batteries will be assembled at ESI’s $70 million manufacturing plant in Maryborough, where civil works are underway to support the facility’s construction.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles visited ESI’s Maryborough site in January to launch Queensland’s Battery Strategy Discussion Paper to assess how the state can become a leader in energy storage technology. The paper highlighted the role of iron flow batteries in Queensland’s energy future.

His visit was followed by Mike Kaiser, Director General of the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, who commented that large, grid-scale batteries will be in heavy demand in Queensland and around the world as global electricity grids shift to renewable energy.

“We are grateful for the support of the Queensland Government in bringing this technology to scale,” Parry said.

“Localising assembly, testing and support will be critical to deploying at scale and the support we’ve received has been of immense value.”

Image caption: Aerial view of Mary River and Maryborough, Queensland. Image credit: iStock.com/Katharina13