100 Neighbourhood Battery Phillip Island
Mondo will be delivering a total of 11 batteries between Queenscliffe and Philip Island.
Location: Phillip Island, Victoria
Timeframe: 2024 – current
Working with the Phillip Island community to design and build a sustainable energy solution
About the project
Project has received funding as part of the State Government’s 100 Neighbourhood Batteries (100NB) Program, managed by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. Successful applicants in Round 1 of the 100NB were publicly announced in March 2024.
Mondo, in collaboration with the Bass Coast Shire Council and TRPI plan to install the 205 kWh batteries at seven separate locations across the Island, with double batteries (410 kWh) at the remaining two locations.
The batteries, which are sized just larger than a public phone box, aims to act as “solar sponge,” soaking up excess daytime solar energy generation for later use, thereby facilitating the transition towards renewable energy sources and supporting the community’s Climate Change Action Plan.
The batteries will be monitored and optimised by Ubi Platform, which will charge the batteries when there is excess solar, discharge the batteries when there is high demand and optimise the batteries to respond to the wholesale energy market.
Key deliverables
- Each 100kW / 250kWh (LiFePO₄) battery measures 2.3m high, 1.3m wide, and 1.3m deep, with some sites using double units.
- Each site has a switchboard paired with the battery, measuring 2.3m high, 2m wide, and 4.5m deep, slightly larger at double battery sites.
- The batteries rest on a steel platform sized to fit them and a switchboard.
- Six batteries are ‘front of meter’ units.
- One battery will be ‘behind the meter’ at Berninneit.
Benefits from our solution
Frequently Asked Questions
Victoria’s energy grid was originally designed for a one-way flow of power, moving energy from where it’s made to where it’s needed. Rooftop solar generation, and other renewable power generation, has introduced a more dynamic, two-way flow of electricity; something that the original energy grid was not designed for.
To maintain a stable electricity supply and to harness as much renewable energy as possible, we need more storage at the network, district, neighbourhood, and property levels.
The batteries will be charged and discharged with electricity from the wholesale energy market, typically charging from the grid during the day with solar energy and storing this energy until it is needed in the evening or early morning, when demand is high, and renewable energy supply is limited.
No. The batteries’ function is to improve the local network’s ability to absorb excess solar energy during the day and export during periods of higher demand. The batteries will not operate or provide back-up power during an outage. However, by storing excess solar the batteries may help address challenges associated with summer peak loads.
Mondo has worked closely with Bass Coast Shire Council and TRPI to finalise a community fund arrangement that is fair and transparent. The fund is intended to support community renewable energy projects. The donation will be paid annually to Bass Coast Shire Council and the Energy Innovation Cooperative will support the arrangement.
