Energy nerds at Australia’s largest energy firm think about a future the place hundreds of thousands of residence photo voltaic power methods and batteries on wheels are linked.
AGL Energy has began to construct a digital energy plant of photo voltaic panels, sensible chargers and batteries managed by a classy digital platform.
It’s additionally phasing out unreliable and more and more costly coal-fired energy vegetation and constructing huge batteries on the websites of the previous era property that made AGL’s Australia largest carbon emitter.
“We do both of those things and do them well – that ultimately will lead to a fully decarbonised economy,” AGL chief govt Damien Nicks advised AAP.
“There’s two elements to this transition. One, connecting a customer to a sustainable future and two, transitioning our portfolio.
“If you get the orchestration of the house proper, you are needing much less era to come back from the property.”
The network of decentralised solar energy systems and electric vehicle smart chargers surged 44 per cent to 199 megawatts in the six months to December.
“We’re now the primary provider of photo voltaic and battery into the market,” Mr Nicks said.
AGL also has a number of partnerships that can put smart charging into the home.
After a turbulent year, the company is also rebuilding its relationship with shareholders including tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.
AGL had its old plans shot down when Mr Cannon-Brookes took a $650 million stake through his investment arm Grok Ventures to speed up the closure of coal-fired generators.
The board was overhauled, a new executive team appointed and a strategy for more rapid decarbonisation began, coinciding with an energy crisis and government intervention to rein in runaway prices.
“I’m making an attempt to place ’22 behind us,” Mr Nicks said.
He said AGL would be talking to all shareholders, including the biggest – Grok – about the transition to new energy and the $1.1 billion loss in the six months to December.
“We had a really powerful begin to July, however since that point a extremely sturdy efficiency throughout the business,” Mr Nicks said.
He said what was pleasing over the past six months was the shared ambition and coordinated approach of state and federal governments on rolling out renewable energy.
As market leader in NSW and Victoria, he said it would be crucial to transition old coal-fired power plant sites to industrial energy hubs with grid-scale batteries.
The big battery on the site of the Liddell coal-fired power station will support energy security in NSW when the plant closes this year.
Battery energy systems at South Australia’s Torrens Island and Broken Hill in NSW are on track to commence operations mid-year.
A feasibility study is also underway with Japanese energy giant Idemitsu for a pumped hydro project on the site of its decommissioned Muswellbrook coal mine.
Idemitsu’s masterplan for the old mine site includes a proposal to convert the area to a clean energy and industrial precinct, similar to AGL’s approach to repurposing Liddell, Torrens and a plant in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.
The Loy Yang A power plant in Victoria will shut down a decade earlier than once planned as AGL aims to exit coal by 2035.
But AGL stays involved federal intervention on gasoline and coal commodity costs, meant to regulate runaway power costs, may spook the traders wanted to again Australia’s transition to wash power.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
