18 Community Batteries Bring Solar Power to 5,300 WA Homes

Western Australia is transforming its energy grid with 18 new community batteries that will let 5,300 homes share their solar power with neighbors when the sun goes down.

The batteries work like neighborhood power banks. They soak up excess energy from rooftop solar panels during sunny days when demand is low, then release it during evening peak hours when families are cooking dinner and turning on lights.

Construction has already started on the project, with 13 batteries planned for Perth suburbs and five larger units heading to Bunbury. The Perth batteries will serve about 1,700 households, while Bunbury's installations will connect roughly 3,600 homes.

The timing couldn't be better. Just three years ago, Western Australia had no grid storage capacity at all. Now the state has enough battery power to meet 50 percent of its average demand, enough to run every home in Perth through an entire evening.

WA Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson pointed to a recent rainy weekend as proof of why batteries matter. When clouds block solar panels, stored energy keeps the grid stable and prices steady.

The batteries also solve a pricing puzzle that's been frustrating energy markets. On sunny days, wholesale electricity prices can plummet when solar floods the grid, then spike hours later when clouds roll in. Community batteries smooth out these wild swings.

The Ripple Effect

Western Australia's battery boom is part of a bigger story. Australia now ranks as the third largest energy storage market globally, trailing only China and the United States.

The federal government contributed $9.3 million of the project's $25 million cost. These 18 batteries will join more than 45,000 home batteries already installed across WA, plus five community batteries already operating in Perth and several large-scale projects in Kwinana and Collie.

Climate advocates are celebrating the progress while pushing for more. Jess Panegyres from Solutions for Climate WA says the state should lock in its momentum with legislated renewable energy targets for 2030 and beyond, similar to other Australian states.

The batteries being installed in Bunbury will power up by the beginning of summer, just in time for the season's highest energy demands, while Perth's batteries will come online by May 2027.