Tesla Operated “Big Bessie” Battery Rocks Rockhampton

Rockhampton residents will soon reap the benefits of grid-scale renewable storage soaking up excess solar production, with Powerlink flicking the switch on a 50MW/100MWh battery in Bouldercombe.

The battery will be fully operational later this year.

“Big Bessie” (BESS stands for Battery Energy Storage System) comprises 40 Tesla Megapack 2.0 units and has the equivalent storage of more than 7600 Telsa Powerwalls.

Built by Genex, the batteries use Tesla’s auto-bidder software and will be operated by Tesla for eight years under an offtake arrangement that guarantees Genex’s revenue.

In this announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange (PDF) in June, when the battery was first energised, Genex explained:

“Tesla will operate the plant to maximise revenues in the energy arbitrage and frequency control ancillary services markets, while providing a guaranteed minimum level of revenues.”

Income beyond the minimum will be “largely captured by Genex”, with a portion shared with Tesla.

“This ensures that Genex directly participates in the revenue upside from significant volatility and wholesale market pricing events.”

The battery is expected to generate 27,375MWh each year and can power more than 4,000 homes.

Bouldercombe, about 23km south of Rockhampton, was chosen as the site for the battery because it’s adjacent to Powerlink’s Queensland SuperGrid substation.

The battery was created as part of the Queensland government’s “Energy and Jobs Plan”, and Powerlink says it will “supercharge local energy affordability.”

Big Bessie will also be providing frequency control ancillary services (FCAS).

Barry O’Rourke, member for Rockhampton, said in a media statement the battery’s location near Gracemere puts it near one of the top-50 solar postcodes in Queensland.

According to SQ’s Solar In Your Location tool, in Gracemere’s postcode area (4702), more than 5,278 small-scale systems have been installed with a collective capacity of 30,434 kW as of May 31, 2023. That’s 45 solar panel systems per 100 dwellings – the Australian average is 34.

“This grid-scale battery will take renewable energy produced from local rooftop solar PV and other nearby wind and solar farms, and release when needed–delivering even more reliable, cheaper and cleaner energy for Central Queenslanders,” O’Rourke said.

Powerlink CEO Paul Simshauser noted that the company had added a 132kV substation bay to Bouldercombe to accommodate the battery.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/big-bessie-battery/