Technology group Wärtsilä will supply a 64 MW / 128 MWh energy storage system for Octopus Australia’s Fulham Solar Battery Hybrid project. The Fulham project secured Generator Performance Standards (GPS) approval in June 2024 and is one of the first large-scale DC-coupled hybrid battery systems in the National Electricity Market (NEM). The project, which pairs the 128 MWh DC-coupled battery with an 80 MW AC solar farm, marks a significant step in Australia’s transition to co-located hybrid renewable energy and storage solutions. It highlights a growing trend toward integrating renewable energy and storage to support grid stability, especially as solar and wind curtailment becomes more common.
This is Wärtsilä’s first collaboration with Octopus Australia, a subsidiary of Octopus Group, and represents a landmark achievement in demonstrating the value of DC-coupled technology at scale. DC-coupled solar-plus-storage systems offer a streamlined approach to energy management. By allowing solar generation to flow directly to the battery through a DC/DC converter, this architecture minimises conversion losses when integrating energy storage with solar assets. Securing GPS approval was crucial to ensure the successful design and approval of the innovative DC-coupled hybrid system, with Wärtsilä’s GEMS Power Plant Controller (PPC) technology playing a central role.
Wärtsilä’s intelligent software and optimisations software, GEMS, will sit at the forefront of the project, managing the integration of both the energy storage system and solar assets with the grid’s connection requirements. The GEMS Hybrid PPC ensures coordination between the solar farm and storage system. It conducts intelligent power control and optimised energy management operations for the entire plant to meet grid requirements and response times, charge and discharge the battery appropriately, and maximise project value. The project will be built with Wärtsilä’s cutting-edge Quantum High Energy storage technology, recognised for its advanced safety features and enhanced energy density.
Construction on site has commenced, with completion expected in 2027. Wärtsilä will also provide a long-term service agreement to guarantee the project’s continued performance and reliability. Earlier today, on 9 April, Wärtsilä representatives joined members of the Victorian State Government, Octopus Australia, and other project stakeholders at the project site for a groundbreaking ceremony.
