DNV GL-led consortium to develop new Standard includes Smart Energy Council, Deakin University and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
MELBOURNE, Australia - 9 July 2018 – DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, today announced that it has been contracted to lead efforts to create a new performance standard for domestic-scale energy storage in Australia.
The proposed new Australian Battery Performance Standard will help residential and smaller commercial consumers make more informed buying decisions and drive confidence in the nascent domestic-scale energy storage market.
Energy storage is a vital element in reaping the maximum benefit from variable renewable energy sources such as solar power. The role of energy storage in Australia’s energy system is expected to grow, as the country will meet its 2020 Renewable Energy Target of 33,000 GWh of additional generation, according to the government body the Clean Energy Regulator.
In the same way that domestic solar has grown to be a significant part of the energy supply mix, the addition of battery storage to these systems is expected to grow rapidly. The DNV GL-led project to develop a performance standard for such energy storage solutions should thus provide a timely boost in consumer confidence to help drive commercial pick up.
To develop the standard, DNV GL has put together a consortium of leading Australian storage organizations. These include the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), whose renowned battery testing expertise will predominantly provide input for developing testing protocols. Deakin University will explore battery capacity estimation approaches, and the Smart Energy Council will provide an interface with local industry stakeholders.
DNV GL will lead the project and prepare a draft proposal for the standard, provide input on the proposed testing requirements, drawing on its extensive experience with equivalent standards elsewhere in the world and the insights from its battery test laboratories in the US and Europe.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said a performance standard for home batteries will help Australian consumers decide what’s best for them. “The difficulty for consumers to make a well-informed choice presents a barrier to uptake of battery storage. This project will give consumers a more informed choice and increased confidence in deciding to invest in home batteries and rooftop solar. This project will give people easy to access information on how reliable the batteries are and how well they perform over their lifetime in Australian conditions,” Mr Frischknecht said.
The project to develop the standard is jointly financed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Victoria State Government. ARENA has contributed AUD 1.4 million, while the Victoria State Government has provided AUD 0.5 million via its New Energy Job Fund.
“Energy storage is a vital component in the transition to a greener energy future, and through efforts of providing the industry with performance Standards, we are supporting the safe and sustainable development of the energy storage sector. We look forward to building on these efforts to create a vibrant and lasting energy storage market for Australia,” said Lucy Craig, Vice-President Technology & Innovation for Energy at DNV GL.
A draft proposal of the new standard is expected to be available within two years. This will then be submitted to Standards Australia for consideration to become an industry-agreed formal Standard. During this consideration process, the draft document will be made available as an industry best practice guideline for parties developing or installing domestic-scale energy storage solutions.
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