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Horizon Power community batteries to boost Broome solar rollout

Sam JonesBroome Advertiser
Solar panels on Broome houses.
Camera IconSolar panels on Broome houses. Credit: Supplied / Horizon Power/Horizon Power

Cheaper solar power will soon be on offer to more Broome residents, with Horizon Power set to install two centralised community batteries early next year.

The move will mean those wishing to install rooftop solar panels would not need to buy their own battery storage, which can cost thousands of dollars, instead connecting to the community batteries.

It will allow more Broome residents to install rooftop solar, as current hosting capacity constraints limit how much rooftop solar Broome’s electricity can accommodate without disrupting supply.

Excess energy generated by rooftop solar can be absorbed by the batteries, which simultaneously smooth the flow of energy back into the network.

The batteries will be installed at Broome North Primary School and at the corner of Port Drive and Cable Beach Road East.

Together, the batteries will free up more than 1400kW of hosting capacity, which will become available to residents and businesses in February 2022.

Horizon Power customer experience general manager Krystal Skinner said batteries added significant cost to solar installations and required additional hardware to be installed at the customer’s premises.

“For a fixed daily fee, Broome customers will now be able to access Horizon Power’s community battery to provide solar smoothing instead,” she said.

“This new customer solution will make it easier for businesses to access solar energy by providing a cost-effective alternative to installing an onsite smoothing battery, removing the need for upfront costs, the land required, and the ongoing safety and maintenance commitments.”

The Broome community batteries project is part of Horizon Power’s $75 million Renew the Regions program, which aims to give regional WA better access to green energy.

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