Maryborough battery hub a big step towards renewable energy future
Richard Dinnen - Queensland Editor |
Work has begun on Australia’s first large-scale iron flow battery manufacturing facility, being built near Maryborough.
Energy Storage Industries Asia Pacific (ESI) says its $70 million facility will produce affordable, long-life, environmentally friendly batteries that will make energy storage possible on a large scale.
ESI director, Stuart Parry, said the company will establish a reliable energy storage industry in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
“Our batteries have a 10 to 14 hour storage capacity and a lifecycle of 25 years.
“The low-cost, environmentally friendly electrolyte also means that the product is ideally suited to remote locations, National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef.”
“Our initial manufacturing base at Maryborough will manufacture and distribute iron flow batteries that allow large-scale energy storage for wholesale electricity generators, energy retailers, and commercial and industrial customers.”
ESI plans to expand operations to deliver up to 400 megawatts of energy storage each year for the next 15 years, which the company said is 20 per cent of Australia’s renewable energy storage needs.
Fraser Coast Mayor, George Seymour, welcomed the start of construction as a significant milestone.
“Manufacturing in Maryborough has a proud history over the past 150 years.
“The development of a future-focussed renewable energy manufacturing business like this battery factory highlights that manufacturing in Maryborough also has a vibrant future.”
Deputy Premier, Steven Miles, said the new facility is a big step toward the transition to renewable energy.
“Storage is key to unlocking Queensland’s renewable energy revolution as we power towards our target of having 50 per cent renewables by 2030.
“In the near future, power generated from a nearby wind or solar farm will be stored in iron flow batteries and help power Queensland.”
A flow battery is an electrochemical cell where two chemical solutions are separated by a membrane. Ions are exchanged across the membrane, producing chemical energy and electricity.
Storage capacity can be increased by increasing the liquid storage volume, making flow batteries well suited to large-scale energy storage applications.
