The ‘Smart Sodium Storage Project’ was a $10.6 million initiative to trial Sodium-Ion Battery Packs as a cheaper alternative to the traditional lithium-ion batteries. The project was led by University of Wollongong energy storage researchers in collaboration with Sydney Water and ARENA.
As part of the battery trial, the Sydney Water pump station SP0055 at North Bondi was fitted with just over 6kW of PV modules and a 30kVA 30kWh Li-Ion battery pack. The system’s performance has been closely monitored as the base case to be potentially used in other renewable energy initiatives. After a period of data collection, the batteries will be replaced with the University of Wollongong developed Sodium-Ion Batteries, and a purpose-built battery management system.
CNF was engaged to design and install the solar battery system.
