Renewable battery factory not ruled out

THE possibility of battery technology able to store and ensure power supplies from renewable sources hasn’t been ruled out for the Darling Downs.

State Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply Mark Bailey yesterday lauded the region as a diverse economic powerhouse which had an increasing role to play in the renewable energy landscape.

While surging ahead with plans to establish a battery factory in Far North Queensland, Mr Bailey said the potential existed for a similar plant in the Darling Downs.

But he stopped short of giving a firm commitment.

“I think there are tremendous opportunities in terms of battery storage technology,” he said.

“All of the solar power stations and a couple of the wind power stations that are going in to Queensland can be retrofitted with batter storage technology, and I think a considerable number of them may well be in the future.

“That means 24-hour dis-patchable renewable energy technology at lowest cost, cheaper than new coal-fired power stations.”

Mr Bailey acknowledged potential future issues with the region’s energy grids due to the surge in solar projects, stopping short of committing to upgrading the existing system across the Darling Downs.

Mr Bailey said upgrades were under way in North Queensland and while the State Government was committed to renewable energy, conventional power generation such as coal “will play an important role for quite some time”.

“We have the youngest most efficient coal-fired power stations in the nation and plenty of gas which will continue to be part of our energy mix for many years to come, but there is a renewable energy boom happening right around the world and you can’t stick your head in the sand and pretend it’s not happening.”