Will New Zealand invest in battery energy storage systems?

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko has published a draft two-year roadmap that sets out our work to support investment in battery energy storage systems (BESS). BESS will become increasingly important in the future as New Zealand’s power system relies on more intermittent and variable generation. Work set out in the roadmap includes:

What types of power systems are used in New Zealand?

generators, IL and BESSs.8 Voltage management practicesNew Zealand’s power system is a typical centralised power system, in that its main load centres are l cated some distance from areas of significant generation. Generation is built near to fuel sources, and electrical power is delivered to loa

What is a battery energy storage system (BESS)?

Over recent years, it has become common for utility-scale solar projects in Australia to include a grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) to provide energy generated by the solar farm to the grid outside of the times when the sun is shining.

Will Bess become a cog in New Zealand's energy landscape?

We expect that BESS will also become an increasingly important cog in New Zealand’s broader energy landscape and that we will see utility-scale solar projects incorporating batteries as a means of providing dispatchable generation during peak demand and enhancing grid stability.

Does Bess support frequency management in New Zealand?

reserve provision and minimise frequency fluctuations. Overall, we found that BESSs can provide excellent support for frequency management in New Zealand, nd help the system operator meet its PPOs in this regard. To enable this support, the Code will need to ev

What is a Bess battery & how does it work?

A BESS is a number of large batteries that operate together as an energy storage facility, and is a bidirectional user of an energy network - meaning that it is able to ‘take’ energy from the grid (to store), and it can discharge that energy back into the system when required.