Australia pilots 1.5 MW sodium sulfur battery
State-owned generator CleanCo Queensland is piloting Australia’s largest grid-connected sodium sulfur (designated NaS in its chemical symbol) long-duration battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Swanbank Clean Energy Hub, 45 km southwest of Brisbane.
The 1.5 MW NaS BESS provides a minimum of six hours of energy storage and is part of a feasibility study being conducted in partnership with Victoria-based energy solutions company Allset Energy, to finalize the engineering, procurementc, and construction services agreement for Swanbank.
Stackable modules, delivered to the site by Allset Energy, German chemicals giant BASF, and Japan’s NGK Insulators, can be expanded to gigawatt scale.
CleanCo chief executive Tom Metcalfe said the trial is studying the commercial and operational potential of long-duration energy storage to inform how CleanCo can meet the evolving needs of customers, with reliable, sustainable energy solutions.
The BASF NaS battery consists of sodium, as the negative electrode, and sulfur as the positive. A beta-alumina ceramic tube functions as electrolyte and permits only sodium to pass through.
When discharging, sodium is oxidized and sulfur is reduced to form polysulfide (Na2Sx). The charging step recovers metallic sodium and elemental sulfur.
The battery runs at temperatures of around 300 C and both elements are in a liquid state when the battery is in operation. The cells are packed into a module and six modules are mounted in one battery container.
Allset Energy Managing Director Thomas Buschkuehl said the BASF NaS battery is a globally mature, long-duration energy storage technology capable of supporting 24/7 carbon-neutral operations.
“Applying this technology, Allset Energy has developed an Australian-standards-compliant, integrated solution for the local market and we’re thrilled to be partnering with CleanCo and QUT [Queensland University of Technology] to implement this in Australia’s largest sodium sulfur energy storage solution,” said Buschkuehl.
QUT‘s Energy Storage Research Group will play a role in the study as knowledge-sharing partner.
Director of the group, associate professor Joshua Watts, said QUT was excited to be supporting Australia’s first multi-container NaS BESS.
“This project represents a big leap forward for Australia in adopting the new technologies required to provide stable and secure power to the nation,” said Watts.
The study is expected to be finalized in early 2025 to support an investment decision in the same year, with the project potentially operational by mid-2026.
The NaS BESS will complement the under-construction, lithium ferro-phosphate Swanbank Big Battery.
From pv magazine Australia.
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