X-Elio, a Spanish renewable energy services company, is set to add a 148MW BESS to its Blue Grass solar farm in Queensland’s Western Downs, Australia.
The BESS will be developed in two stages. The first stage, anticipated to reach mechanical completion by Q3 2025, will feature a 60MW BESS. The second stage will deliver an additional 88MW BESS, with mechanical completion expected by Q3 2026.
Once finished, Blue Grass will be X-Elio’s first hybrid solar and storage project in Australia.
The solar farm, officially inaugurated in November 2022, has a capacity of 200MW and was originally developed to support Queensland’s Renewable Energy Target (QRET).
Expanding the solar farm with BESS technology will enhance the existing infrastructure, enabling the use of grid-forming battery inverters. This transformation will allow the facility to serve as a hybrid power source capable of providing essential grid services.
The integration of BESS will enable the solar farm to store excess energy generated during peak solar hours and release it during periods of high demand or reduced solar generation.
This capability will facilitate participation in grid services and improve both energy reliability and grid stability.
Furthermore, this initiative is a result of collaboration between X-Elio and its technology partners, Ingeteam and Narada.
Mirko Molinari, CCO of X-Elio, says, “This project will support grid resiliency in Queensland and enhance our solar farm’s resilience to price volatility.
“We are excited about the prospects of BESS in Australia and believe its deployment greatly supports grids with high renewables penetration.”
The news follows an announcement earlier in October that X-Elio had received government approval for another 350 MW solar site in Queensland, as part of its three Australian solar and storage projects.
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