58 INSIGHTS 2018
H
owever, without proper planning and investment in
energy storage, electricity costs in Australia will
continue to rise and electricity supply will become
less reliable, warns the ACOLA report, titled The role
of energy storage in Australia’s future energy mix.
Co-funded by the Office of the Chief Scientist Alan Finkel,
the report found that there is public awareness of energy stor-
age solutions such as batteries and pumped hydro, but there
is very limited knowledge of other emerging technologies such
as renewable hydrogen.
There are 1.8 million homes with rooftop solar power sys-
tems that could use battery packs for energy storage but there
is reluctance from customers to install batteries at home for
perceived safety reasons, according to the report.
“This report clearly shows the two sides of the coin — that
energy storage is an enormous opportunity for Australia but
there is work to be done to build consumer confidence,” said
the chair of the ACOLA expert working group, Dr Bruce Godfrey.
“Australia has world-class resources of raw materials used
in battery manufacturing, most notably lithium. Our raw materi-
als, together with our world-class expertise in the development
of energy storage solutions, including batteries, the design of
software and hardware to optimise integration in smart energy
systems, and expertise in the design and deployment of systemsMansi GandhiAustralia has the potential to lead the world in developing large- and home-scale energy storage systems,
says a report by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA).