Community batteries
A community battery is a shared neighbourhood battery solution that supports the grid by improving power reliability and smoothing power flow in a local area to enable further uptake of rooftop solar.
Although community batteries benefit the entire community (whether customers in the area have rooftop solar panels or not) they don’t currently allow for individual energy storage. But there is potential in the future. We're currently collaborating with Synergy to investigate a residential product that would allow for individual household excess solar energy to be stored and later accessed.
- City of Mandurah, Meadow Springs
- City of Mandurah, Falcon
- City of Swan, Ellenbrook #1
- City of Swan, Ellenbrook #2
- City of Wanneroo, Two Rocks
- City of Wanneroo, Ashby
- City of Canning, Canning Vale
- City of Rockingham, Port Kennedy
- City of Stirling, Yokine
- City of Kwinana, Parmelia
- City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Kalgoorlie-Boulder
- City of Busselton, Vasse
- Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, Margaret River – behind the meter community battery (5 year trial)
- City of Armadale (Harrisdale), Megapack
- City of Rockingham (Lark Hill), Megapack
- City of Rockingham (Pike Road), Megapack
- City of Joondalup, Kinross
- City of Rockingham, Port Kennedy
- City of Bayswater, Bayswater
- City of Swan, Stratton
- City of Cockburn, Coogee
Community batteries offer improved power quality and lower the cost on tariffs, as they are currently more cost effective than a home battery solution.
Plans for expansion are underway. The locations of community batteries depend on a number of factors to ensure it provides optimal benefit for the community and the grid.
Western Power has received federal funding from DCCEEW and ARENA, and is contributing to the cost for the battery installation. These batteries help offset network investment, including transformer replacement, and allow greater solar connections for the neighbourhood.
The location of a community battery is based on comprehensive data and modelling work and is determined by several factors. Some of these include the amount of solar being generated from customer rooftops in a particular area, the age of the infrastructure in that area and any local pressure on the transformers.
One of the primary considerations is ensuring the battery location provides optimal benefit to the community and the grid. As they are designed to smooth the power flow by soaking up excess solar energy, they ultimately improve the performance of the network for customers in that area.
Yes. All our battery systems are required to meet regulations for licensed electrical works that include Australian Standards such as AS/NZS3000 (Wiring Rules), AS/NZS 4777 (Inverter Standard) and AS/NZS 5139 (Battery Installation Standard). The batteries also meet Australian and international safety standards and guidelines, and our battery system installs comply with Western Power Technical Rules and associated Western Power Manuals and Guidelines. Find out more about our guidelines and standards
The batteries contain Lithium Ion, which is the most common battery makeup with proven performance. They have a lifespan of 15+ years.
We have developed a panel of providers that includes Australian suppliers, however key components are sourced overseas.
Our first deployments were Tesla models, and we partner with local installers West Australian Alternate Energy. The current DCCEEW community batteries are CATL, partnering with Western Australian deployment partners Genus and PowerTech.
Not at the moment, although they do help balance supply and demand and maintain voltage. This is a possibility we’re exploring for the future.
Community batteries have been installed in Perth metro and in regional areas, including Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Vasse and Margaret River. Further community battery locations are being investigated in Mandurah and Bunbury.
The batteries we have installed on the network are in areas that need additional support, such as suburbs with a lot of rooftop solar. While the batteries will not eliminate outages, they are designed to improve power quality and overall reliability.
Not yet, but we will continue to explore this possibility.
No. All households in the same area where a community battery is installed are ‘connected’ to the battery. While this doesn’t mean the household is physically connected to it, you still get the benefits of battery support - as community batteries smooth energy flows on the network, they improve power quality and allow more households to get rooftop solar.
Western Power owns and maintains the batteries. The current models last around 15 years.
Behind the meter (BTM) refers to energy systems, such as solar and battery storage, at your property. It describes energy equipment on the customer side of the electricity meter.
A customer can use their own energy generation, such as rooftop solar, and store it in the behind-the-meter battery (a home battery). The stored energy from the battery can be used before using the energy from the grid. Our battery trial in Margaret River is currently our only community battery that is behind the meter.
In front of the meter batteries are integrated into the electricity network. There are currently twelve on the grid and they support the network by smoothing energy flows.
A behind the meter battery sits on a customer’s property and is not integrated into the electricity network. Energy generation and storage are managed within the property meaning the homeowner increases their solar self-consumption rather than exporting solar to the grid. We currently have one behind-the-meter battery as part of a trial in Margaret River.
Both batteries work to balance energy flows by reduce peak load (energy usage) on the grid at certain times of day. So they help support the grid, improve power quality and allow further uptake of rooftop solar.
The 21 community batteries have allowed us to test and learn to ensure we maximise the value of future batteries. We are currently planning roll outs based on learnings from these 21 initial batteries.
We have secured funding through DCCEEW and ARENA grants. Five batteries are planned to be operational and supporting the network by the end of 2025. A further thirteen community batteries, and five MV (medium voltage) batteries are currently being scoped, with a planned in-service date for late 2026. This will bring Western Power’s community battery fleet up to thirty nine batteries supporting Western Australians across the SWIN.