Final piece installed at Tailem Bend solar farm

The installment of a battery energy storage system has completed the years-long, multi-million-dollar project.

Final piece installed at Tailem Bend solar farm
The new battery sits just beyond the green sheds at the Tailem Bend solar farm, located on Substation Road. Photo: Vena Energy.

The final milestone of Tailem Bend's solar farm has been completed with the construction of Vena Energy's 41.5-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS).

The battery complements an existing 87MW solar farm, achieving a total capacity of 128.5MW.

The project’s cutting-edge design allows the solar and battery components to operate independently while sharing a single grid connection.

During construction, approximately 50 per cent of the solar farm's workforce was sourced from the local region, according to Vena Energy, including Tailem Bend, Murray Bridge and surrounding areas.

Spokesman Owen Sela said the hybrid configuration redefined operational flexibility.

"Our system enables simultaneous export of solar power to the grid and independent operation of the battery for energy export or storage," he said.

"By optimising existing grid infrastructure, we are enabling renewable energy to
be dispatched when needed, delivering cost-effective power to South Australia."

There are now two solar projects located adjacent to each other which deliver a combined capacity of 182MW; this increases to 223.5MW with the integration of the battery storage.

It's the second-biggest solar power plant in South Australia; phase two started construction in 2022 and took just over a year to complete.

Vena Energy now plans to build another, much larger battery at the site with a capacity of 204MW.

By providing power to almost 40,000 homes without burning fossil fuels, the solar farm avoids the release of almost 230,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas, according to the company, slowing the impact of climate change and contributing to state and national emissions reduction targets.

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