en.Wedoany.com Reported - Jemena, an energy company jointly owned by the State Grid Corporation of China and Singapore Power, has completed an investment of AU$2 million (approximately US$1.4 million) to deploy four community batteries in northwestern Melbourne, Victoria, all of which are now operational.
The latest battery was installed at Pitcher Park in Alphington, 8.4 kilometers northeast of Melbourne's central business district. Similar installations were completed in Bellfield, Coburg, and Flemington in 2025. Jemena's retail partner, Origin Energy, manages each battery through its virtual power plant (VPP), enabling households and businesses on the same low-voltage grid to automatically access stored energy from the battery via their existing power supply without switching retailers.
The project received funding from the federal government's AU$200 million (approximately US$140 million) Community Batteries for Household Solar (CBHS) program. Each battery stores enough electricity to power approximately 165 households for two hours at night. Sandra Centofanti, Jemena's General Manager of Customer and Commercial, stated that installing community batteries in areas with high rooftop solar penetration is one of Jemena's ways to prepare the grid for the future. "Over the next decade, the number of our electricity customers with rooftop solar will double from 19% to around 40%," she said.
During the site selection process, Jemena considered grid constraints, safety, environmental factors, and expected growth in solar installations in each area, and consulted with local councils. Local residents and community groups, such as Village Power, also participated in the project, providing input on the appearance and location of the batteries. Centofanti noted that the company established community reference groups comprising representatives from residents, community groups, and sports clubs near each battery site, giving members a say in battery placement and helping to select artwork, while also communicating with local households and businesses through letterbox drops, surveys, and online information sessions.
Jemena received four grants of AU$500,000 each through the first round of the CBHS program for community battery installations in Alphington, Bellfield, Coburn, and Flemington. These grants were funded by the Business Grants Hub of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, which manages AU$29 million in grants for installing 58 batteries. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) manages the remaining AU$171 million in two rounds: the first round approved AU$124.7 million to support 318 batteries nationwide, with AU$46.3 million available in the second round. The Alphington community battery features artwork by Simone Thomson.
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