Mooroolbark community mini grid

MEDIA RELEASE: Australia’s first energy mini grid in an established community was launched this week and includes GreenSync as a project partner.

The Mooroolbark Community Mini Grid was launched on 19 April by Victorian Energy Minister Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP and AusNet Services Managing Director Nino Ficca.

GreenSync is pleased to be part of the project team, which is being led by AusNet Services, the network business responsible for distributing electricity to the Mooroolbark area.

The Mooroolbark Mini Grid Project consists of a group of 14 neighbouring houses, each with a standard connection to the electricity grid that will generate and store their own electricity, and eventually share electricity with the other houses within the mini grid.

AusNet Services is currently equipping each of the 14 houses with a solar power system and a purpose-built 10 kilowatt hour battery. GreenSync will provide the distributed energy platform for monitoring and managing energy flows within the mini grid. GreenSync’s MicroEM™ platform will enable the energy that is generated and stored locally to be shared between houses, based on the needs of individual residences, and the needs of the local grid network.

Key features of the trial include:

• The mini grid will service an established suburban community rather than being part of a new development – the situation in which the vast majority of Australians are seeking new energy opportunities
• Reliance on solar energy and batteries only, with no backup generators
• It will use the existing grid to interconnect customers
• The mini grid will be fully distributed – each participating house will have its own solar panels and batteries, rather than a large central or offsite facility. Importantly, this means the mini grid can be scaled up or replicated anywhere to meet future demand
• The mini grid community can sustain itself in the event of a network failure, and can also support the wider network, by reducing local demand or supplying power back into the grid

Over the next 12 months, a variety of configurations and objectives will be trialled, including individual homes running on and off grid, and eventually the whole trial community.

For media enquiries, please contact Skye Holcombe Henley at skye@greensync.com.au.