Grid-scale battery technology

Overview

Partners: Eku Energy and the ACT Government, as part of the Williamsdale Battery Energy Storage System (250 MW / 500 MWh).

ACES project team:  Laura Jones, Dora (Shan) He, Phillipa Watson, and Heather Logie

Find out more:  ACES partners on ACT big battery 

The role of grid‑scale (large) batteries in Australia’s electricity system is rapidly evolving. These batteries are increasingly being deployed and used for different functions. While some large battery performance outcomes and impacts are understood, there remain significant gaps in knowledge about how large batteries influence energy systems—technically, financially, and socially.

This project investigates the role of grid‑scale batteries in Australia’s energy transition, focusing on lived experiences, operational realities, and future implications for energy storage. The Williamsdale Battery Energy Storage System in the ACT serves as the central case study.

Reviews indicate gaps between expectations for the batteries and what these batteries are actually contracted and designed to do, suggesting that implications of grid‑scale battery storage systems are not fully understood in the Australian context.  

Through a combined program of technical investigation, modelling, and social research, the project will enhance understanding of the current and emerging roles of large batteries. Grid‑scale batteries are examined within the context of the Australian and ACT energy systems, alongside other forms of energy storage currently being deployed. This research will contribute to broader public understanding of the social, technical, and policy dimensions of battery infrastructure.

This work brings together technical, contractual, social, policy, and environmental insights to build a comprehensive picture of how large batteries are understood and how they are shaping emerging practice. By combining social and technical research, this project aims to identify the operational assumptions and design choices embedded in battery projects and examine what actions this technology enables and who benefits.  

ACES is undertaking research and development in this project to:  

• Address important gaps in understanding the real‑world roles and implications of grid‑scale batteries beyond their technical outputs.  
• Improve social and technical understanding and explanation of these batteries and related systems, including in relation to deployment and operation in the Australian electricity grid.
• Support smart future uptake and integration of battery storage technology for effective electricity provision and decarbonisation.  

The social research component will consult with stakeholders and community members to better understand:

• Expectations people have of large‑scale batteries.
• The actual uses and functions of these systems in different contexts.
• The implications of these functions for different groups.

The social research components of this project have been approved by the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee (Protocol H/2025/0421).

Social research information sheets can be found here: [add links to two information sheets].

The technical research component will include quantitative modelling to map battery behaviours and impacts. These analyses will help clarify how large batteries respond to different market, grid, and environmental conditions, and what this means for their performance and value. 

Existing studies of large‑scale batteries primarily focus on engineering and market functions. To date, we have found no integrated research that brings together stakeholder values, contextual dynamics, and social expectations with battery design and deployment. Our approach ensures future battery systems are not only technically effective but also socially meaningful and publicly understood.

This project will generate:

• Improved understanding of the roles and implications of large‑scale batteries.
• Insights into emerging and changing influences as deployments expand.
• Capture and synthesise expert knowledge, including from industry, community, and technical stakeholders.