A community battery that can power more than one hundred homes has been switched on at Glebe Hill.
The 258 kilowatt-hour battery will store excess solar energy from 117 homes in the suburb during the day and feed it back into the grid during evening peak demand.
“This is an election commitment that I made back in 2022 to have a community battery here in the Glebe Hill power area,” federal Labor MP Julie Collins said.
The battery sits in a community park on council land, housed in a large cabinet decorated by local artist George Kennedy.
He consulted residents about the design after being commissioned for the project.
“I got into the community and asked what they wanted to see and they wanted to see nature and they wanted to see bright colours,” he said.
“I looked up the native plants in the area and the flowers and yeah I’m really pleased with how it turned out.”
Senator Richard Dowling said the project was part of the government’s energy transition agenda.
TasNetworks CEO Sean McGoldrick described it as infrastructure designed to serve the community.
“This battery here is really part of our infrastructure in order to serve the community,” he said.
“It makes better use of the excess solar that we typically have at this time of day and then it shares it in the community.”
This is the first community battery in southern Tasmania, with another already operating in Burnie.
Five more are planned across the state over the next 18 months.
Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley said the project showed the council’s commitment to renewable energy.
“We just don’t talk sustainability. We deliver it here in Clarence,” he said.
The battery is part of broader federal renewable energy policies, including household battery rebates and emissions reduction targets.
