Phillip Island Battery
Community Energy
PICESS ready to power up Phillip Island
The $10 million Phillip Island Community Energy Storage System (PICESS) is the first of its kind on the island. Mondo, working with project delivery partner TEC-C, built the battery on behalf of AusNet to provide the community of Phillip Island with a battery that will provide energy support during peak periods.
Adding the battery to the island also minimises the community’s carbon emissions that were historically produced when AusNet seasonally added diesel generators to the island to support peak demand.
The replacement of the diesel generators with a battery removes the emissions, noise, and service costs of operating a diesel machine. The battery is a great example of what can be achieved with collaboration, with Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI), the Bass Coast Shire Council and the wider community working together.
This project will help us build a greater understanding of how batteries fit into the broader energy transition from coal-generated electricity to renewables.
The PICESS project will go towards meeting Victoria’s strong renewable energy targets, which will see 50% of electricity come from renewables by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Mondo is proud to be the owner of the 5MW/10Mh High Voltage Distribution battery and looks forward to continuing to assist Phillip Island to activate their bright energy future.
Battery specifics:
- 5MW/10MWh Hitachi battery
- 10MWh Lithium-Ion Phosophate battery.
- Technology provider is Hitachi Energy
- 10-15 year life span
We’re proud to be supporting Phillip Island over their peak holiday periods for the locals and the many Victorians who consider this special place a home-away-from-home. By adding the first battery asset to the island we’re able to do this while also minimising their carbon emissions and accelerating the Island’s energy transition in the future
– Gavin Lewis, Head of New Energy Markets
How did we get here?
Mondo won the tender for this project with AusNet in 2021 and has delivered the project in collaboration with the Bass Coast Shire Council, Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI), and the Energy Innovation Cooperative (El Coop).
Engaging and collaborating with the island’s community groups was a vital part in achieving success throughout the designing and planning stages of the project.
Now operational, the battery has the capability to power more than 8,000 homes for two hours or 700 homes for a day, offering network support during peak demand periods.
The are many opportunities available to us as we transition to a renewable energy future. Storage will be a critical component in the shift to clean energy, working to make sure local generation can be stored and shared at times of greatest need, and ensuring infrastructure can cope with the additional local generation.
We look forward to continuing our work with the Bass Coast Shire Council and Totally Renewable Phillip Island.
Renewable energy
Phillip Island’s first battery energy storage system.
The plans for the Phillip Island Community Energy Storage System (PICESS) will offer greater reliability in electricity supply for the Island, especially during peak holiday periods and provide a new world of renewable energy opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
The battery will replace diesel generators which have been used for network support during peak demand in summer holidays.
The battery will be in place all year around to provide network support.
The battery will be charged from the electricity network, using the existing mix of energy sources available at that time – a combination of fossil fuel generated power and renewable energy.
The 5MW/10MWh Hitachi battery will have the capability to power more than 8,000 homes for two hours or 700 home for an entire day.
The replacement of the diesel generators with a battery removes the emissions, noise and service costs of operating a diesel machine.
The battery will also expand our real world understanding of the suite of benefits and functions a battery can provide.
It would be cost prohibitive to do this when it is only a few days of the year where demand peaks on the island. The PICESS battery is the most cost-efficient way of ensuring energy reliability on the island.
AusNet and Mondo have worked closely with Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI), the Energy Innovation Cooperative (EI Coop) and the Bass Coast Shire Council on the project.
25 local contractors were hired throughout the duration of the project. Local contractors include civil contractors, electrical staff and traffic management.
Mondo was the successful tenderer for the battery in February 2021 and subsequently contracted specialist Design and Construction expertise from TecC.
With partners Overwatch, Fluence and Zinfra, Mondo will manage the day-to-day operations of the battery in service of a stable energy supply.
This is the first step of further investments we plan to make in the region, to accelerate the energy transition.
The battery site and systems are designed in consultation with the CFA and has their endorsement.
The site layout includes fire break and vegetation clearance zones to avoid fire spread and the site has a dedicated firefighting water tank and mains connection point to reticulated supply.
Operation of the battery won’t alter during elevated fire danger days, though the batteries’ inbuilt cooling system may operate for longer periods.
Each individual battery cabinet has a fire detection and suppression system and temperatures and function are constantly monitored for performance.
Despite every effort to progress the tariff trial, including three rounds of Expression of Interest, difficult market conditions have resulted in the Project Team being unable to secure an energy retailer partner to enable the trial to proceed.
Therefore, the Project Team and DELWP (now DECCA) made the difficult decision to terminate the project as of April 2023.
Acoustic levels have been carefully reviewed and assessed in the design phase and fell within the acceptable range outlined by Environmental Assessment Authority guidelines.
We also completed on ground tests in April and have confirmed the batteries are operating within acceptable limits. They will be retested in 12 months to ensure they remain compliant.
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