The plant, which has been billed as the “first of its kind”, is being developed by RayGen Resources in Victoria. RayGen’s will use its patented PV Ultra and electro-thermal storage technology for the project. The technology “offers a renewable, modular and scalable solution to the emerging need for longer duration storage that has been identified by the Australian Energy Market Operator in its Integrated system plan”, said a statement. The energy storage system would be able to store electricity for 17 hours.RayGen will supply the energy from the plant to the country’s largest electricity generator AGL who will deliver clean energy to the National Electricity Market (NEM), and participate in wholesale energy and Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS) markets.
Construction of the plant is expected to be completed in one year. The project’s lifespan is estimated at 30 years.