Gannawarra Energy Storage System (GESS)
- $22.73m Funded by ARENA
- $41.19m Total project cost
Summary
The Gannawarra Energy Storage System (GESS) is a 25 megawatt (MW)/50 megawatt-hour (MWh) lithium-ion battery to be co-located with the 60 MW(DC) Gannawarra Solar Farm located west of Kerang in north western Victoria.
It is being developed and financed by Edify Energy in a consortium with Wirsol Energy as co-investors, Tesla as battery provider, RCR Tomlinson as EPC contractor, EnergyAustralia as long-term operator, and ARENA and the Victorian Government as providers of grant funding.
How the project works
This Gannawarra Energy Storage System project will demonstrate how an existing solar farm can be retrofitted with battery storage. The battery will store energy at times of relatively low value. The battery will use stored energy and use it at times of relatively high value. The project will also examine providing other grid services such as frequency control ancillary services (FCAS) and, should it be established under the electricity market rules, a Fast Frequency Response (FFR).
This project consists of:
Project reports- ARENA media release 22/03/18
- ARENA Insights Spotlight: Gannawarra Energy Storage System (GESS)
- Gannawarra Energy Storage System Final Report
- Gannawarra Energy Storage System Operational Report #1 and #2
- Gannawarra Energy Storage System Operational Report 3 and 4
- Gannawarra Energy Storage System: Project Summary Report
Learn more
Report: Gannawarra Energy Storage System Final
This is the final knowledge sharing report for GESS. It outlines the performance and key learnings over the first 24 months of operation.
Report: Gannawarra Energy Storage System Operational Reports #3 & #4
This operational report covers the second of two 6-month operational periods for the Gannawarra Energy Storage System – March to August 2020 and September 2020 to February 2021.
Report: Gannawarra Energy Storage System Knowledge Sharing Report
GESS is a pioneering project in Australia’s National Electricity Market. It is the first attempt at retrofitting a battery behind the existing point of connection of a utility scale renewable energy power plant, GSF.
Report: Gannawarra Energy Storage System Operational Reports #1 and #2
This Operational Report #1 and #2 covers the time from completion to the end of the first 2 x six month periods (March to August 2019 and September 2019 to February 2020) of operation of GESS.
Report: Large-Scale Battery Storage Knowledge Sharing Report
This report summarises the key lessons and innovation opportunities for Large-Scale Battery Storage projects in Australia.
Report: ARENA Insights Spotlight
Wayne Goodwin, Project Development and Technology at Edify Energy discusses the drivers, challenges and services GESS can provide.
Video: Solar Battery Storage Projects in Victoria
Understand how ARENA is helping solar battery storage projects.
Media Release: ARENA to Provide $25 Million to Jointly Fund Victoria’s First Large-Scale, Grid-Connected Batteries
The Australian Government through ARENA has announced it will match the $25 million by the Victorian Government to jointly fund Victoria’s first two large-scale, grid-connected batteries as part of the Victorian energy storage initiative.
Area of innovation
When complete, GESS will be:
- The first integrated renewables and battery system in Victoria and among the first in Australia;
- The first retrofit of a battery to an existing or under-construction solar farm; and
- Among the largest integrated renewables and battery systems in the world.
Benefit
The battery will help demonstrate how large-scale batteries can provide different benefits to the electricity system, including improving grid stability and power quality, and how they can help integrate more variable renewable energy into the grid. For example, the battery could assist by reducing curtailment of future renewable energy generation on what is a relatively constrained line in the Victorian electricity system hence supporting higher levels of renewables in the region by reducing or controlling peak loading on these circuits.
Note
ARENA and the Victorian Government will jointly provide $25 million in funding for both this project and the Ballarat Energy Storage System (BESS).
ARENAWIRE Blogs
How are big batteries helping to transition to renewables?
Massive batteries are helping to keep the grid stable as more renewable generation comes online.
Solar battery storage in Victoria charging up for summer
Victoria’s two grid-scale batteries are up and running, ready to bolster the grid as temperatures rise and demand for electricity soars.
