Expression of Interest (EOI): 200kW BESS for Community Power Network

Description

Ausgrid is seeking to identify a suitable vendor capable of providing a Battery Energy Storage Solution for the inclusion into our Community Power Network (CPN) project.

The CPN is an innovative concept which aims to solve three critical issues with the current transition to Distributed Energy Resources (DER):

1. Equity Accessing the benefits of solar and storage is currently very difficult, if not impossible, for those living in apartments, rentals or lacking the capital to invest in Distributed Energy Resources (DER). This must be solved if we are to reach the maximum potential for DER and ensure we are promoting a fair transition pathway.

2. Costs Uncoordinated adoption of solar and storage assets by individuals, fails to balance geospatial needs versus build to avoid unnecessary augmentation of the grid. The current incentives driving residential-scale adoption also fail to capture the benefits of scale that community-sized assets can deliver (currently masked by government rebates).

3. Speed Current market dynamics do not incentivise property owners to install solar specifically to spill back into their local communities. This significantly curtails the potential energy generated locally and increases our reliance on large-scale generation solutions which are facing significant cost and social challenges. Maximising what can be done in parallel, increasing the speed of our transition and reducing our reliance on remote, large-scale solutions.

At its core, the CPN is testing a new battery orchestration and delivery of equity strategy. It solves the above three issues by installing DNSP-owned and operated storage in an optimised layout across the low voltage distribution network to collect and then equitably re-distribute cheap local solar to all customers, regardless of whether they can own their own assets or not. Ausgrid has received approval from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) to pilot this concept by installing 130MWh of storage across two regions being Botany-Mascot and Charmhaven.

An optional Q&A meeting will be held at 1pm on Friday 20th February at 24-28 Campbell St, Sydney NSW 2000. All interested Bidders are to attend this meeting in person or online.

A maximum two (2) representatives from each company can be accommodated and prospective bidders must register their intention to attend the meeting by emailing the Ausgids RFx contact lucas.ocampo@ausgrid.com.au at least 2 days before the meeting.

It is expected that suppliers will read the EOI documents in full and prepare questions for the Ausgrid team to develop an answer.

Suppliers have the option to be in person or online, as per the following details:

a) In Person

A meeting room has been booked in Roden Cutler House

• ADDRESS: 24-28 Campbell St, Sydney NSW 2000
• DATE: Friday 20th February
• TIME: 1PM

At arrival, ask for Lucas Ocampo in reception

b) Online

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: click here

Meeting ID: 417 622 288 404 00

Passcode: vB763GC7

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Dial in by phone

+61 2 8318 0074,628995501# Australia, Sydney

Phone conference ID: 628 995 501#