Paul Bibby
Enova Energy has been granted $1m in funding for a shared community battery project in Regional NSW.
The project, part of a collaboration with the University of Newcastle and Enosi Energy, will enable Enova to commission and install a 2MWh battery and implement peer-to-peer trading of the stored energy across 500 Enova customers.
It will allow people to share in the use of solar battery storage, thus saving them the cost of purchasing a battery storage system for their individual household.
‘We’re effectively using our social enterprise structure to deliver real benefits to locals in communities,’ Enova’s chairwoman Alison Crook said.
‘Community batteries are one of the last pieces in the puzzle to bring efficient control of energy generation, storage, and supply right back to where they belong: in the hands of people in their own communities.’
Funding for the project will come from the NSW Government Regional Community Energy Fund, after Enova and its partners were successful in a highly competitive application process.
NSW Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean said the Shared Community Battery Project would help regional communities take control of their energy bills and benefit from the economic opportunities presented by changes in the energy system.
‘These innovative renewable energy projects will help to make electricity more reliable and affordable for our regional communities,’ Mr Kean said.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
