Frequently Asked Questions

Council will lease the site to the State Government to enable them to increase access to South Australia's Virtual Power Plant (SAVPP) for low income and vulnerable households in the Magill area and surrounds.   SAVPP provides households with access to the cheapest residential electricity rate in South Australia. As such, the lease fee will be $1 per year.

The lease is for 15 years as this is the anticipated life of the battery, makes it cost beneficial for all parties ensures the community get optimum benefit from the program.

No.  This will be a State Government asset, owned and operated as part of South Australia's Virtual Power Plant.

Eligible Housing SA tenants in Magill and surrounds will receive an invitation to participate in the program. Other residents will benefit as the community battery will assist to stabilise the electricity grid meaning less interruption to power, especially during the heat of the day during summer months.

The Australian Government has made a commitment to try to reduce electricity prices, particularly for low income and vulnerable households.  Campbelltown City Council and the City of Marion are the first councils in South Australia to trial community batteries in their areas due to their suitability for the program. It is anticipated that other areas of South Australia will also have community batteries installed over time.

No, the State Government will be the owner of the asset and pay for its installation.

Council will work with the Department for Energy and Mining to find an alternative location.

Housing SA tenants that are in homes not suitable for renewable energy hardware (eg rooftop solar panels, home batteries) due to their property location or design will be the recipients of the program.

Eligible SA Housing Trust residents in Magill and surrounds who are participating in the program will have access to electricity stored in the community battery through South Australia's Virtual Power Plant. 

The project will take approximately 12-18 months from approvals to commencing operations.

As the State Government will be the owner of the asset, it will be responsible for ensuring adequate insurance is in place during installation and operation of the community battery.

Excess solar power will continue to be reimbursed to individual panel owners as per usual.

This means the excess power produced by an individual's solar panels will continue to be sold to the grid at the agreed tariff rate of their nominated power provider.

The battery will be charged from the grid during the day when electricity is cheapest. Energy is cheapest during the day as this is the time solar panels on houses around South Australia are selling to the grid. The battery is not directly connected to solar panels, but to the grid.

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a network of distributed energy resources (such as solar and battery systems) that all work together as a power plant. The VPP operator uses software and Wi-Fi technology to charge or discharge energy from the batteries and trade it on the National Energy Market.

With many systems working together small amounts of energy stored in individual batteries can be aggregated to become large amounts of energy to help support the grid in times of need.

The community battery will store excess renewable energy from the grid when it is abundant, for use at later times when demand (and cost) is high. 

By doing this as part of South Australia's Virtual Power Plant, it will deliver renewable energy and the cheapest residential electricity rate in South Australia to eligible Housing SA homes in Magill and its surrounds.

The enclosed container (which houses the community battery) is anticipated to be up to 6 m L x 3m W x 3m H, however this is subject to the outcomes of a tender process yet to be undertaken by the State Government.

Council anticipates that one small bottlebrush tree will need to be removed.  No further tree removal is anticipated.

Noise from the community battery will be limited to that of one standard split system air conditioner.

The battery will be cooled by a split system air conditioner.

No decisions have been made about design elements at this stage however there may be an opportunity for aesthetic improvements to blend the enclosed container into the landscape.  This will be discussed at a future date with the State Government as they will be the owners of the asset.

The battery technology system (Powerwall) is rated by Tesla (its manufacturer) at 'not applicable' for fire risk. The system is certified to the most stringent safety standards for energy storage and is intended to help stabilise the electricity grid.  

No impact is anticipated based on experience with battery installations in other locations.