CEC added that renewables now comprise approximately 43% of Australia’s grid, creating an urgent need for technologies capable of managing system security in an increasingly asynchronous network.
A growing share of the battery storage pipeline now includes grid-forming capability, enabling battery storage systems to provide synthetic inertia and support system strength, capabilities previously supplied by synchronous coal and gas generators.
Unlike traditional grid-following inverters that require a stable voltage reference from synchronous generators, grid-forming systems can independently establish and maintain voltage and frequency, effectively acting as virtual synchronous machines.
This capability becomes increasingly valuable as coal-fired generation exits the system and the proportion of inverter-based resources grows.
As previously reported by Energy-Storage.news, roughly 74% of battery storage projects in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) pipeline are confirmed to be equipped with grid-forming inverters.
