Perenjori network battery
In August 2020, Perenjori celebrated the two year anniversary of having their community power supply supported by our ‘outage-busting’ microgrid.
Perenjori: From outage town to energy innovation crown
Outages have been all too common in the small Western Australian town of Perenjori, 350km north of Perth.
The Mid West town sits at the end of a long stretch of powerlines which are exposed to a range of environmental factors.
A problem anywhere along this long line could cut power to the town.
Thanks to a microgrid with a 1MWh network battery installed on the outskirts of town, power outages will no longer be a regular occurrence.
Powering up the end of the line
In 2016, if you were living in the town of Perenjori, power outages were a fact of life. But with the battery energy storage system, these will be a thing of the past.
Perenjori powerhouse - two years
In August 2020, Perenjori celebrated the two year anniversary of having their community power supply supported by our ‘outage-busting’ microgrid.
Project statistics
The microgrid containing a 1MWh network battery will act as a backup power supply for the town and will eliminate up to 80% of outages, based on the town’s power outage history.
Benefits of the Perenjori microgrid
Perenjori is the first town to trial a backup battery supply on the Western Power network. The battery was commissioned in August 2018 and the community is already beginning to experience tangible benefits.
We have been working with Balance Utility Solutions to design and deliver the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The system is comprised of lithium-ion batteries with an inverter. It kicks into gear instantaneously if the town loses supply from the main electricity network.
The BESS is at the heart of the town’s microgrid. It works like an island of power – it can supply the town independently when the main grid is disconnected.
Batteries a big part of WA's future grid
The 1MWh network battery will act as a backup power supply for the town and will eliminate up to 80% of outages, based on the town's power outage history.
Town residents and businesses may still experience power outages, however these will be after the network battery is exhausted and a series of notifications will enable them to plan for the outage.
Insights gained from this trial are helping us determine how we can deploy network batteries effectively to other communities.