At Eku Energy, we want to accelerate the energy transition by delivering safe, secure and reliable energy storage assets that provide cost-effective clean energy.

Back in April 2021, stakeholders from the ACT government and Australian National University came together for a co-design workshop to inform the energy future for Territorians. Led by the ANU Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, participants shared and discussed ideas on how to support the electricity system to sustain the current and future energy needs of the ACT.

The 30 key insights from the 2021 workshop significantly led to and shaped what's now known as the Big Canberra Battery project. The Big Canberra Battery project is intended to deliver an ecosystem of batteries across the ACT to ensure that the electricity grid remains stable and that the ACT achieves its goal of net zero emissions by 2045.

Fast forward a couple of years to 2024 and industry helped turn this concept into reality. Being awarded the contract to deliver the biggest battery in the Big Canberra Battery project’s ecosystem in 2023, Eku Energy started construction of the 250 MW/ 500 MWh Williamsdale BESS in December 2024. As part of our commitment to Territorians in the development of Williamsdale BESS, Eku Energy invested in a research partnership with the Australian National University’s Centre for Energy Systems (ACES, previously known as the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program) to support the Centre’s research into how Australia can implement energy solutions that accelerate the energy transition

Through this collaboration with ACES, postdoctoral research has commenced to explore and analyse the role of utility-scale batteries in the National Electricity Market (NEM). The work seeks to analyse the behaviour, performance and energy system outcomes that these projects can deliver to support energy security and local communities through the energy transition.  

What is most significant about the partnership between Eku Energy and ACES is that this research will deliver findings that are accessible to non-experts that will help to demystify batteries, highlight their importance and challenges, and identify how these projects deliver a just transition by bringing communities into the development conversation.  

This collaboration with ACES is supported by a financial grant made by Eku Energy in developing the Williamsdale BESS.  ANU’s researchers have been translating their findings into actionable insights for policymakers and understandable content for the public:

• For decision-makers, a holistic understanding of how utility-scale battery energy storage works in the NEM makes it easier to support better policy and investment outcomes.

• For communities and the public, accessible language that accurately describes the latest benefits and challenges of grid-scale batteries strengthens the social license needed to accelerate the transition.

The co-design workshop was instrumental in shaping the concept of the Big Battery Canberra Project itself. It has also informed research that has highlighted how stakeholders and communities, working together, can explore, co-design, fund and implement storage solutions that accelerate the energy transition across Australia. Eku Energy believes the work it has undertaken with the ANU  could serve as a model for other states around Australia seeking to build utility-scale batteries and engagement with local communities.

Watch the video below to see how the partnership between Eku Energy and ANU will improve the understanding of stakeholders and local communities on the benefits of grid-scale batteries.