Innovatia

Globally, almost 50 percent of new bus pur- chases are now electric. NSW and ACT gov- ernments have already committed to elec- trifying their entire public bus fleets – some 5,000 buses in total. Italiano notes, “Our focus is on working with industry to under- stand the implications of electrification on the grid and exploring opportunities to ac- celerate the electrification of transport by designing integrated solutions supported by transmission networks”. Driving outcomes for customers TransGrid is not alone on Australia’s energy transformation journey. Governments, regu- lators and industry are all working together, with roadmaps and strategies in place – and

widespread recognition across the energy supply chain about the role networks, gen- erators and retailers play in driving better outcomes for customers. This is evidenced by the Energy Charter, an industry-led ini- tiative with TransGrid as a founding signa- tory, which is focused on better addressing customer expectations. Italiano explains, “As we look to the fu- ture as an organisation, our path is clear. We must continue to be at the forefront of innovation and technology, develop our un- derstanding of future grid requirements, en- sure that every investment in the power sys- tem is rigorously assessed and demonstrate benefits to energy customers.”

opportunities for scale-efficient generator connections within the REZ. This new ap- proach is an exciting step forward as we work towards lowering costs to meet the reliabil- ity standard for NSW and market dispatch costs, therefore putting downward pressure on prices for customers. Piloting emerging battery technology It is widely accepted that batteries will be key to the creation, transport and use of electrici- ty in the future. Many Australians are familiar with the idea that large-scale batteries can provide electricity when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine – what the ex- perts call dispatchable energy. However, a new emerging area in battery technology is how it can be used to solve inertia and fre- quency challenges on the grid. This will be a key challenge as more wind and solar joins the grid and coal-fired generators retire. At the moment, there are very few batteries in the world designed with this as a primary purpose – and they are an attractive option for providing synthetic inertia as they are a fraction of the cost of the next best solution, a synchronous condenser. TransGrid is taking the lead in piloting these network services through a $61.9m Wallgrove Grid Battery project that will install a 50 MW battery, the equivalent of 125,000 solar pan- els, at its Wallgrove substation in Western Sydney. Having received funding by the Aus- tralian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of its Advancing Renewables Program and NSW Government as part of its Emerging Energy Program, the WGB project will be the

first large-scale grid battery in NSW. Additionally, the NSW regional centre of Broken Hill is set to become one of the world’s largest mini grids supplied by solar, wind and grid-scale storage. This follows Trans- Grid’s recommendation earlier this year for a new back-up supply arrangement that could see the homes and businesses of Broken Hill’s 17,000-strong population powered by renewables. In the coming years, TransGrid will learn more about how the battery can be used to respond to a frequency event, and how often it is needed to provide synthetic inertia and fast frequency response servic- es, while setting up opportunities for future grid battery investment. “TransGrid is working with the government, communities and industry to future-proof power supply through transmission infrastructure design.” Supporting electrification of transport and industry Electricity is already widely used to power trains and light rail in NSW. Electric and hybrid passenger vehicles are continuing to grow in popularity, with fast-charging electric vehicle infrastructure being rolled out across the na- tion. Transport and industrial operators are also looking at ways to decarbonise opera- tions and invest in electric solutions.

https://youtu.be/1kUE0BZtTRc?si=Q- jQ2qplLHEKJnx-t

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