The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) today celebrated the installation of the 100th community battery under its Community Batteries Funding Initiative and announced a further $23.2 million in funding for three new projects under Round 2.
The milestone highlights the growing role community batteries are playing in helping Australian households get more value from rooftop solar while supporting a more reliable, flexible electricity grid.
ARENA Acting CEO Chris Faris said the installation of the 100th community battery was a significant milestone for neighbourhood-scale energy storage in Australia.
“Reaching 100 community batteries demonstrates growing confidence in the role these assets can play in Australia’s energy transition.
“Community batteries help local communities make better use of rooftop solar by storing excess energy during the day and making it available when it is needed most. They can help lower costs, support greater renewable energy uptake and improve the efficiency of the electricity network.
“Importantly, the program is also generating valuable real-world data and insights on battery performance, costs, business models, customer benefits and grid impacts. These learnings will help accelerate the commercial deployment of community batteries across Australia.”
ARENA is also announcing funding for three new projects under Round 2 of its Community Batteries Funding Initiative, supporting innovative approaches under the initiative to deploying batteries in communities across Australia. The funding recipients include:
- YES Group Regional Community Batteries Project – $10.29 million to deploy 14 community batteries across regional South Australia and New South Wales.
- Ausgrid Network-led Community Battery Scale-up – $8 million to deploy 21 community batteries across Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter regions.
- City of Newcastle Innovative Battery Solutions Project – $5 million to deploy community batteries integrated with embedded solar networks across regional Queensland.
ARENA’s Community Batteries portfolio is building one of Australia’s most comprehensive evidence bases on how community batteries can be planned, delivered and operated. Explore the reports and lessons learned from across the portfolio on ARENA’s Community Battery Insights Hub.
About the Community Batteries Funding Initiative
As part of the Federal Government’s $200 million Community Batteries for Household Solar budget measure, $171 million was allocated to ARENA. Through its Community Batteries Funding Initiative, ARENA is helping test and scale community batteries across Australia to build the evidence needed for wider deployment and consumer benefit.
