Long-duration vanadium flow battery for Kununurra

The WA Government is piloting a long-duration vanadium flow battery in Kununurra in northwest WA which will allow Horizon Power to examine whether the technology can be installed in microgrids and off-grid power systems.

The battery, supplied by VSUN Energy, a subsidiary of Australian Vanadium (ASX: AVL), will collaborate with Horizon Power on integrating this energy storage into its network as well as system support testing over the next 12 months.

WA Energy Minister Reece Whitby says “this pilot won’t just mean there is more clean, reliable, and affordable power for regional WA – it means Horizon Power can better understand how batteries can support microgrids and other off-grid power systems throughout the State”.

Battery storage already plays a critical role in WA’s energy mix, with large-scale batteries in Kwinana and Collie absorbing excess rooftop solar power during the day and redistributing it at night when demand for energy is greater.

The Kununurra battery has a 78KW capacity, 220kWh of storage and its energy storage is both temperature-resilient and well-suited to Kimberley conditions.

Horizon Power chief executive Stephanie Unwin says Kununurra with its hot and humid climate is a challenging environment for battery energy storage.

“Piloting the vanadium flow battery in these extreme conditions will help us to learn more about its capabilities and the potential for it to be effectively integrated into our network, much of which is subject to extreme temperatures,” she said.

“We look forward to collaborating with VSUN Energy and testing this cutting-edge technology over the next 12 months.

“This long duration energy storage pilot supports our focus on solving the important technical challenge of long duration storage and performance in extreme environments, supporting us with our decarbonisation goals.”