Australia’s battery durations stretch to eight hours as chemistries shift

The Hornsdale Power Reserve, commissioned in 2017, entered service with slightly over one hour of storage capacity. Two years later, the Lake Bonney wind farm added a battery with two-hour storage. As of 2023, Australia had only two batteries with two-hour durations, according to data reported by RenewEconomy.

The rise of long duration

The Limondale battery represents a step up from the one- and two-hour systems. With a capacity of 50 MW and 400 MWh, the facility provides eight hours of duration.

Beyond lithium-ion

• Australia’s grid-scale storage is shifting from lithium NMC to lithium LFP, while sodium and nickel hydrogen are emerging as the next wave of chemistries.
• Valo’s Peter Fath points out that sodium batteries carry a lower fire hazard and can function effectively in extreme temperatures.
• Fath observes that sodium technology enables longer duration capabilities.
• In Fath’s view, sodium storage "will serve long duration at a better cost structure compared to lithium iron phosphate."

New chemistries in detail

EnerVenue is developing a storage system based on nickel hydrogen chemistry, a technology originally derived from the Hubble Space Telescope. Henning Rath, representing EnerVenue, explains that this design allows the battery to discharge for up to 24 hours.

Rath highlights several operational advantages of the nickel hydrogen approach. He states that the system can achieve 40,000 cycles over its lifetime, a figure he estimates is probably three times that of lithium-based alternatives.

Safety is another distinct feature of this chemistry. Rath notes that the technology cannot experience fire risk from thermal runaway by default. The system demonstrates extreme temperature resilience, operating effectively in environments ranging from minus 20°C to plus 60°C.

Market interest and timelines

CATL’s Tener Sodium product is currently rolling out, generating significant attention across the Australian market. Zane Zhou, general manager of CATL Australia and New Zealand, reported that there has been huge interest in sodium batteries in the country. While the commercial uptake of the Tener Sodium line is underway, no specific timeline has been provided for translating this Australian interest into real-life projects.

Off-grid applications and mixed-chemistry strategies

CATL’s Zane Zhou, general manager of CATL Australia and New Zealand, noted that interest in sodium batteries extends beyond the National Electricity Market to the off-grid sector, with significant demand from miners seeking to electrify operations and reduce diesel consumption. While the company is working to translate this interest into projects, no specific timeline was provided.

EnerVenue’s Henning Rath, speaking in a special episode of the Energy Insiders podcast, described a three-bucket approach to future storage systems. Lithium-based batteries remain the first bucket, followed by sodium, which Rath said is "cannibalizing in certain applications the lithium-based chemistries". The third bucket consists of non-lithium, long-duration energy storage designed for sites requiring fire safety and multi-day discharge. Rath explained that EnerVenue’s technology addresses this niche because it allows for continuous discharge and multiple cycles per day without the resting times required by other chemistries.

Valo’s Peter Fath, in a separate Energy Insiders podcast episode, predicted that future installations may feature mixed setups at a single site connection. He argued that as manufacturing efficiencies improve, sodium batteries will offer a better cost structure for long-duration applications compared to lithium iron phosphate. Rath agreed that future battery storage systems may come with mixed chemistries, to address various parts of the capability suite.

Conference context and product specifications

The emergence of these extended-duration systems and novel chemistries was a focal point at the All Energy conference in Melbourne, where grid-scale storage discussions highlighted the shift toward 10-hour and longer durations. CATL’s Tener Sodium product, currently being rolled out, has generated substantial interest from Australian industry players, including miners aiming to electrify operations and cut diesel consumption. EnerVenue’s Henning Rath, speaking in a special episode of the Energy Insiders podcast, detailed that the company’s nickel hydrogen technology requires no liquid cooling and offers minimum efficiency losses. Rath also noted that the technology is being brought back to Earth from its aerospace origins due to falling costs, while Valo’s Peter Fath, in a separate podcast episode published earlier this month, emphasized that sodium batteries can operate within greater temperature extremes.