In a cordoned-off corner of our Brisbane office, Chief Remote Pilot, Matt Jeffs, is gearing up for another drone flight. He conducts final checks, eyes flitting across three monitors displaying various data, video feeds, and charts. 

“Preparing box,” Matt speaks into his headset. “Prepare for take-off… Spinning up… And we’re off.” 

Nearly 1,750 kilometres away at Victoria’s Mortlake Power Station, a drone comes to life. Emerging from its “drone-in-a-box” station—a container doubling as its landing pad and charging hub—it ascends smoothly. Following a pre-programmed route, it surveys the construction of a 300-megawatt large-scale battery taking shape next to the power station. 
 
Back in Brisbane, Matt keeps a close eye on the drone’s journey. He checks the airspace, chats with any nearby pilots if needed, keeps tabs on the weather, and makes sure everything’s running smoothly.

As the drone flies over the site, it captures sharp, detailed aerial images. These images are later processed to correct any distortions, ensuring they match up perfectly with maps and elevation data. The outcome? Clear, reliable insights that help the Mortlake Battery project team track progress, visualise the site, share updates with off-site team members, and plan upcoming activities more effectively.

Breaking barriers with beyond visual line-of-sight approval

A game-changer for Origin, this operation represents a major leap forward, enabled by recent approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. This approval allows our qualified operators to pilot drones from its Brisbane Remote Operations Centre, even when those drones are located hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. 

The drone-in-a-box system at Mortlake highlights the potential of this technology. With its ability to autonomously launch, land, and recharge, allowing us to remotely track construction progress, reducing the need for on-site personnel. 
 
“The drone at Mortlake has been flying twice a week since the project began in August,” Matt says. “For much of the Mortlake Battery team, who are based off-site, this technology is a valuable tool. It lets us inspect activities, track changes, and measure site features—all without being there in person.”

Revolutionising project management

Origin Project Engineer James King, involved in the Mortlake project from the start of construction, says, “Sharing drone-captured imagery with the team has transformed how we track progress— it’s often easier to convey progress visually than through written updates.

“For instance, our project scheduler uses these images to track the progress of construction, identifying areas where we’re ahead or behind schedule.  
 
“Personally, I’ve found it incredibly useful to overlay site drawings onto drone photo maps to anticipate potential challenges.”

A future in flight

Years of development, rigorous testing, and regulatory hurdles have culminated in this moment. The Mortlake project is just the beginning of our ambitions in utilising drones. 

“We’re thrilled to be at the forefront of drone operations within the energy sector,” Matt says. 
 
“Deploying drone-in-a-box solutions like this one at key sites across our portfolio is just the start. As drone technology continues to evolve, we anticipate even more innovative applications to emerge.” 

“For Origin, the skies are not the limit—they’re just the beginning.” 

The post How drone-in-a-box tech is changing the game appeared first on The Origin Blog.

We’re committed

In 2015, Origin became the first energy company in the world to commit to the first seven We Mean Business Coalition’s commitments. The We Mean Business Coalition is a global non-profit coalition and outlines a framework to accelerate business climate action for a net zero, 1.5°C-aligned world. We report on our progress each year in our Sustainability Report. 

Our Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP)

Our Climate Transition Action Plan outlines our ambition to lead the energy transition through cleaner energy and customer solutions. It details the targets we’ve set to accelerate emissions reduction across our business. Importantly, our medium-term equity emissions intensity target and long-term net ambition to be net zero emissions across our full value chain by 2050, are consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Future-proofing our generation assets

With Eraring Power Station’s closure slated for August 2027, we’re future-proofing Australia’s largest power station. We’ve committed to the construction of a large-scale battery at Eraring. The first phase of the project consists of a 460 MW two-hour battery located adjacent to the power station, with an operational target date of late 2025. Construction of the second stage of the battery is scheduled to begin in early 2025, and come online in the first quarter of 2027, adding a further 240MW with a dispatch duration of four hours. 

As one of the most flexible power stations in the National Electricity Market (NEM), it’s playing an important role in supporting Australia’s transition to renewable energy sources, while continuing to provide reliable and affordable energy to our customers. 

Accelerating our investment in renewable energy

We’re developing a range of projects to expand our renewables portfolio and help lead the energy transition.

Solar energy

• We’re currently seeking development approval for Dapper Solar Farm, a 250-300MW solar development within NSW’s first Renewable Energy Zone. 
• In February 2024, we acquired renewable energy developer Walcha Energy including their proposed 450MW Salisbury Solar Farm. 
• In August 2022, we acquired Yanco Solar Farm.  The 60MW project also includes a planning permit for a battery storage system. 
• In April 2022, we acquired Yarrabee Solar Farm. The first stage of the project is expected to include 450MW of solar generation (with the potential for up to 900MW). Once developed, Yarrabee will be one of the largest solar farms in NSW. Planning approval also allows for a 25MW battery storage system. 

Battery storage

• We’re seeking approval to construct a 500MW battery with a storage capacity of up to 2,000MWh beside our Darling Downs Power Station.  
• Construction is underway on a large-scale battery energy storage system at our Eraring Power Station. The approved battery has a peak output of 700 MW for up to four hours (or lesser loads for longer periods) meaning it will be able to meet the energy needs of approximately 150,000 homes for up to four hours. 
• Construction of a large-scale battery storage project adjacent to our gas-fired Mortlake Power Station commenced in mid 2024. The Mortlake battery  will use lithium-ion battery storage technology and have a peak generation output of 300MW and a storage capacity of 600 MWh and will be commissioned in late 2026.  
• We’re seeking approval to construct and operate a 200MW battery at Templers Creek with a storage capacity of up to 800 MWh. 

Wind development

• In February 2024, we confirmed the acquisition of renewable developer Walcha Energy including their proposed Ruby Hills Wind Farm. 
• In July 2023, we purchased the 7,586 hectare ‘Warrane’ property (now also known as the Northern Tablelands Wind Farm).  
• Acquired in April 2024, the Yanco Delta project comprises a 1.5GW wind farm and an 800 MWh battery. The project has received both New South Wales Government development approval (December 2023) and EPBC approval (February 2024) making it one of the largest and most advanced wind and energy storage projects in New South Wales.   
• In July, the Origin x RES Joint Venture secured a feasibility license to develop the Navigator North offshore wind project off the Gippsland coast in Victoria. The Navigator North project has the potential to deliver 1.5 GW of total installed capacity to the NEM. 

The power of community

Community battery trials

We’re currently involved in several community battery trial programs with energy networks in Queensland and New South Wales. As Australia continues to transition towards renewable energy solutions, more and more of these batteries are being installed – from Bondi, to Bowral, to Bungarribee.  

A community battery stores excess solar generated by rooftop panels, then shares it back with the community – helping to balance the grid and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. It’s why we believe community batteries have an important role to play in Australia’s energy transition.   

City of Melbourne

We’ve partnered with City of Melbourne to deliver three battery energy storage systems as part of its Power Melbourne project. Part of the project’s pilot stage, the batteries are set to be installed in 2024, helping support the city’s transition to renewable energy.

Creating change through partnerships

Our sports partnerships are about more than just a logo on a shirt, they’re about making small, but good changes for a better future – and giving sports fans the information they need to do the same. 

In Sydney, we’ve assisted with the installation of EV charging solutions at the new Sydney Swans HQ, which recently received a 5 Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. For the past two years at Swans home games at the SCG, we’ve hosted fans in a VIP game day space. The ‘Home of the Fans’ space gives fans the chance to have a great match day experience, whilst also giving us the chance to showcase some great renewable solutions for homes, including solar and battery products, and information on how our Virtual Power Plant (VPP) works. 

Melbourne City FC also recently opened its new facility, City Football Academy Melbourne, at Casey Fields. We supported the club by installing a 40kW rooftop solar system and 13.5kW battery, to help reduce its carbon footprint 

We’re also the naming rights partners of the world champion Origin Australian Diamonds – and last year helped install four EV chargers for Netball Queensland at Nissan Arena.

Our Virtual Power Plant (VPP)

Our Virtual Power Plant (VPP), allows customers to be part of a smart, connected energy network, and contribute to a cleaner energy future.  

It connects energy assets to work together like a mini power station to manage supply and demand. Our VPP currently has over 300,000 connected assets, with a total capacity of 1.4GW under management. 

When energy demand is high, our VPP can send renewable energy stored in home batteries into the grid – helping boost energy supply across the network. It can also help preheat hot water storage systems during the day, when there’s extra renewable energy flowing through the grid. 

More than 105,000 Aussie homes participate in SpikeHours – our energy-saving rewards program – through the VPP, encouraging people to reduce their energy use during peak times through gamification and rewards. 

Supporting big business

Our dedicated Origin Zero team, helps large businesses across Australia accelerate their energy transition towards net-zero through a range of personalised energy solutions. From  accelerating renewable energy adoption, helping reduce onsite greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs, right through to transitioning to electric-powered assets, and offsetting carbon emissions. 
 
We’ve partnered with businesses like Coles and JB HiFi right through to the iconic Aussie theme park Dreamworld to help reduce their carbon emissions (and even power roller-coasters) with renewable energy solutions.

Driving change

We’re helping make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) easier for Aussies, with a range of residential and business EV solutions. 

Our EV team can help you make the switch through salary packaging, business subscription and fleet services. You might also be able to level up your charging game with EV Power Up.  

We can even help with business and commercial charging solutions. Whatever your EV needs, we’re all about driving good change for Aussies. 

Want to delve deeper?

The post How we’re helping accelerate Australia’s energy transition  appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Recently compiled data revealed that Eraring Power Station increased electricity output by over 17% for the 2024 financial year. This represented an increase of 2.1 TWh to a total of 14 TWh – the highest annual output at Eraring since 2019.  

To put this into context, total electricity demand in NSW in the 2024 financial year was 67 TWh, meaning Eraring met 21% of the state’s power needs. That’s not bad for a 40-year-old asset. 

Eraring was responding to government policy introduced in December 2022 designed to increase electricity output and help put downwards pressure on prices. The Federal Government’s Energy Price Relief Plan was a response to significant supply and price pressures felt in global energy markets following the war in Ukraine and included a cap on the price of coal until June 2024.  

In addition, the plant played an important role in responding to the daily and seasonal variability in renewables output, helping underpin reliable supply for customers under all scenarios. 

Eraring’s ability to flex its output in this way is no small feat and is a credit to our team onsite who carry out a rigorous maintenance regime each year to keep the power station in the best possible condition. The plant’s ongoing contribution to the market is also dependent on continued support from local coal suppliers.  

Shoulder season is maintenance season

Most years we perform a scheduled maintenance outage on one of the power station’s four generating units. 

Typically performed during the spring or autumn shoulder seasons when electricity demand tends to be lower, these major maintenance outages help ensure safe, flexible and reliable operations. Performing them in the shoulder season also ensures all generating units are available during the summer and winter peak periods – when Aussies are using more energy. 

What happens during a maintenance outage?

During a scheduled maintenance outage, the Eraring team conducts a series of inspections and repairs to a generating unit’s boiler, turbine, turbine auxiliary, valve, electrical and circulating water systems to ensure the unit continues to meet its safety and regulatory requirements. 

The workforce at Eraring swells during these outages, with an additional 700 people from various departments and contracting firms on site at the peak of the works. More than 50 different suppliers providing skills including welders, boilermakers and electricians, many from the Hunter and Lake Macquarie area, support the outage work.  

Shift teams tend to work day and night, six days a week to turn around the safest and quickest overhaul possible. Over a thousand ton of scaffold will be erected for access and works, four turbine rotors and an 80-ton generator rotor will be removed for inspection and overhaul, hundreds of valves will be inspected and overhauled while extensive pressure welding and mechanical works will be carried out on the unit’s boiler. 

The next scheduled maintenance outage will be performed on Eraring Unit 3 starting in late August and is targeted for completion in November 2024. Each major maintenance outage represents capital expenditure of $70 – $80m, with further unit maintenance at Eraring scheduled for 2025 and 2026, so we can keep the plant operating safely and reliably.  

Preparing for Eraring’s retirement

Another area we spend considerable time planning for is the eventual closure of coal generation operations at Eraring, scheduled for August 2027.  

Our biggest priority has been delivering an extensive program to support Eraring’s workforce.  

Known as Future Directions, the program is led by an experienced team based on site and focuses on three key pillars: 

• Communication & change – ensuring our people are listened to, respected, supported and valued via ongoing communication and consultation. 
• Future capabilities – supporting individuals to achieve their future career and life choice goals. 
• Health & well-being – keeping health and well-being front of mind, and to ensure our workforce transition plans are phased & transparent.  

While Future Directions offers a host of career information and wellbeing resources, the program’s focus through its early phase has been on developing Individual Support Plans. These individual plans reflect the unique circumstances of every employee – some are early in their careers, while others are nearing retirement age. Some want to continue working in energy, while others are looking for a career change. 

The individual plans detail an employee’s current skills and qualifications, their future career ambitions, opportunities for development, re-training, re-skilling and further education. We’ve already had employees complete a wide range of courses including property development, psychology, business administration, photography and welding to name a few.   

Today, 96% of the Eraring team have an active support plan in place, with 288 training courses completed and funded by Origin. We hold twice yearly check-ins with our people, to see how their plan is going and make changes if appropriate – overwhelmingly, participating employees support the program. 

We’re in the early stages of sharing details of our Future Directions program with Eraring’s suppliers, to help them in the development of their own plans to support their workforces through the transition to closure. 

What’s next for the Eraring site?

When we eventually reach the end of coal power generation at Eraring, that doesn’t spell the end of operations at the site. 

Eraring is a highly valuable energy site, with good transmission connections to the main grid and the demand centres of the Hunter and Sydney. 

We’ve already approved construction of a large-scale battery project on the site of Eraring, with phase one of that project currently under construction. Total investment in the Eraring battery project is $1 billion, delivering a combined energy storage of over 2 GWh. This will enable us to help keep the grid stable and support more variable renewable energy coming into the system. 

Want to learn more?

To keep up-to-date with what’s happening at Australia’s largest power station, visit our dedicated Eraring Power Station web page.

The post Keeping the country’s largest power station in peak condition appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Whether onshore or offshore, wind farms hold immense promise as renewable energy sources. However, to unlock this potential, accurate wind resource assessments during the development phase are crucial. That’s why careful planning and preparation are vital before these farms can take shape. 

Evaluating a site for a wind farm requires a thorough feasibility study to assess its potential for harnessing wind energy effectively for electricity generation. Part of this process involves installing meteorological masts, also known as ‘met’ masts. These masts gather crucial data by monitoring wind and weather conditions at different heights above the ground. This data is vital for wind farm developers to accurately determine wind speeds, direction, and other weather parameters at the site, which can be challenging to predict. Wind data sets, recorded over a year or two, are essential for these projects to reliably estimate the expected energy output.

Met masts key to planning Northern Tablelands Wind Farm

In planning for a proposed Northern Tablelands Wind Farm site in regional NSW, we recently installed two meteorological masts to assess the site’s wind potential. This project site spans 7,586 hectares across the Warrane property, located 18 km northwest of Armidale within the NSW New England Renewable Energy Zone, with the site boasting a high-quality wind resource — and offering several grid connection options — making it very appealing for a wind energy development. 

Each of the meteorological masts installed at Warrane stand at 110 meters tall and are spaced 3.5 kilometres apart. These lattice structures are strategically positioned to collect data from the site, ensuring thorough assessment of wind and other weather conditions across the entire potential wind farm area. Equipped with instruments at different heights, they gather comprehensive data crucial for understanding wind patterns and variability.  

Monitoring wind at different heights gives us a wind profile that helps estimate wind speeds higher than those measured directly at the mast. Monitoring wind direction is equally crucial as it guides turbine placement and spacing across the project area. 
 
Wind turbine manufacturers can develop different models and classes suited to different weather conditions. In areas with lower wind speeds, turbines have larger blades to capture maximum energy across the aerodynamic surface. Conversely, sites with higher wind-speeds typically require smaller blades for greater efficiency in harnessing strong, steady winds. Therefore, the data collected from the met masts guides the selection of turbines and blades best suited to the site’s wind characteristics.

Met masts are kept in place for at least 18 months, sometimes up to 60 months, to collect solid data, reduce uncertainties, ensure project feasibility, and account for weather, seasonal changes, and maintenance. However, they’re not the sole method used for wind resource assessment. We’re also employing Lidar technology – an optical wind measurement technique. Lidar, short for ‘light detection and ranging,’ uses laser pulses to remotely detect wind conditions, offering broader coverage and flexibility compared to fixed met masts. Unlike met masts, Lidar units are portable and can be moved around the project area to gather data, which helps even more in figuring out the overall feasibility of the project. 

Each method – Lidar and met masts – can be used in tandem to provide a comprehensive understanding of the wind conditions at a wind farm site. Given the substantial investment required for wind-energy projects, how we measure wind resources can significantly impact the success of these projects. Combining modern tools like Lidar with traditional meteorological masts ensures we get a thorough and accurate assessment. This approach not only boosts energy production by developing a wind farm suited to specific weather and site conditions, but also makes renewable energy investments more sustainable and reliable in the long run.

Did you know? Meteorological masts aren’t just for wind farms. They’re also key at airports and for general weather forecasting, climate research, and studying tough-to-reach places. They give us crucial data that helps make flights safer, improves weather predictions, and supports all sorts of meteorological work.

The post What are met masts and how do they work? appeared first on The Origin Blog.

What’s in the box?

In simple terms, batteries store electrical energy in chemical form, with lithium-ion being the most common battery chemistry used to store electricity for grid-scale applications. This is the same technology you find in devices such as smartphones and laptops.

Large-scale batteries typically consist of several components – a battery unit or ‘enclosure’ (generally a large fridge-sized box or a shipping container), an inverter to help charge and discharge the battery, and a transformer to step up to high voltage suitable for transmission around the electricity network.

Speed and flexibility

Unlike other forms of energy storage and generation, batteries are particularly valuable because they can respond faster than other energy storage or generation technologies and can help avoid blackouts by turning on and off in fractions of a second. Compared to traditional forms of generation, which can take several hours to reach full output, batteries can respond almost instantly to changes in wind or solar generation and keep supply stable and the lights on.

Batteries are also a great way to supply additional power when demand for energy peaks, such as when people get home from work and start to consume more electricity.

When charged during the day, soaking up excess solar generation that is not used as it is produced, we can “shift” energy from the middle of the day to the afternoon peak period to meet customers’ needs.

While batteries can provide almost instantaneous back-up, the amount of time they can support the system using current technology is relatively short, limited to a few hours at most. This means batteries alone cannot yet be relied upon to support the grid for the longer durations sometimes required, which can be several days in the case of severe outages. Over time, as battery technology improves, it will be able to provide back-up for longer and at lower cost.

Location, location, location!

Large-scale batteries can in theory be placed anywhere along the electricity grid. However, to take advantage of the infrastructure already in place and reduce the cost of the energy produced, Origin is looking at the potential for installing large-scale battery technology at many of our existing power stations, including the construction of the 460MW battery project (with a view to increase its capacity to 700MW in the future) at the Eraring Power station in NSW.

Interestingly, a large-scale battery located next to a power station is not powered by the power station. Large-scale batteries operate independently, are connected to the grid and can continue to operate when the power station is not running or even after it may have retired from service.

Want to learn more?

On episode five of our So Watt? podcast, hosts Zach and Dom delve into the role batteries will play in the future of the energy network.

The post How large-scale batteries can support the growth of renewables appeared first on The Origin Blog.

What is hydrogen?

Hydrogen, which has the chemical symbol of H, is the most abundant element in the universe. It’s quite literally the energy that fuels the sun and stars. Here on Earth, hydrogen is found in the greatest quantities in water (H₂O), but it can also be found in natural gas, coal and petroleum.

Potential benefits of using hydrogen energy

Sustainable

Hydrogen is emerging as a potential way for us to significantly decarbonise future energy consumption, particularly in industries that are hard to electrify – like steel production. When produced using renewables, like solar and wind power – it can be a great source of cleaner energy.

Flexible

Flexibility is important when it comes to meeting the demands of the energy grid and hydrogen shows promise in this area as it can be used immediately or be safely stored and transported for later use. 

Potential to meet demand

A transport fuel for heavy vehicles, an industrial gas, and the ability to store energy – hydrogen’s versatility would allow it to help provide significant support to domestic energy needs. Which means it could help, by providing firming capacity to the grid and improving energy security. In fact, it’s already used around the world safely, with more and more countries investing in this emerging energy.

According to a report by the Hydrogen Council, around 680 large-scale hydrogen project proposals were submitted worldwide in 2022 – representing a whopping USD $240 billion direct investment through to 2030. Seemingly aligned to the prediction from the International Renewable Energy Agency, which projects that hydrogen will account for 12% of global energy use by 2050.

“Renewable hydrogen will be a key component in powering a cleaner future for manufacturing, mobility and industrial customers in Australia.”

Ryan Willemsen-Bell, General Manager Future Fuels, Origin Energy

How hydrogen produces energy

When hydrogen reacts with oxygen in the air, or is burnt, it generates thermal energy. This energy can then be used to:

• Power fuel cell vehicles
• Replace natural gas in factory operations and other hard to abate sectors
• Blend into the existing natural gas network to reduce carbon emissions

And as the by-product of hydrogen use is water, rather than carbon dioxide, this makes it one of the cleanest fuels on the planet when produced from renewable sources.

How is hydrogen energy made?

Different methods are available for producing hydrogen, using a variety of resources like natural gas, biomass, nuclear and renewable energies like solar or wind. In today’s world, most of the hydrogen produced comes from fossil fuels.

Thermochemical process (steam methane reformation)

Natural gas contains methane (CH4) that can be used to produce hydrogen with thermal processes, such as steam-methane reformation and partial oxidation. Steam reforming is a high-temperature, chemical process in which carbon monoxide reacts with water vapor. Steam reforming is the most common method for producing hydrogen today and primarily utilises natural gas in reactions with steam. At high temperatures, and in the presence of specialized catalysts, the reaction products are hydrogen, CO, and CO2. Although this method relies on inputs that aren’t renewable, it could play an important part in the transition to a low-emissions future.

Electrolysis process

Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen particles. The reaction takes place in a unit called an electrolyser. Through electrolysis, the electrolyser system creates hydrogen gas. The oxygen that’s left over is released into the atmosphere or can be captured or stored to supply other industrial processes – like medical gases in some cases. The hydrogen gas is usually stored as a compressed gas or liquefied and transported.

Renewable hydrogen

Renewable hydrogen is produced from sustainable water, using renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydroelectric power to electrolyse the water through the electrolysis process we mentioned above.

Sustainable water

Sustainable water is water sourced responsibly from renewable sources to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. The current proposal is to use locally sourced recycled wastewater to produce hydrogen through electrolysis. Recycled wastewater, also known as water reclamation and reuse, is physically and chemically treated wastewater to a quality suitable for its intended end use.

Origin is already experienced at beneficial use of recycled water. Since 2014, Origin has been recycling water from its upstream gas operations and providing this water to farmers for irrigation. 

How is Australia placed to produce renewable hydrogen?

In 2019, Australia became one of the first countries to develop a National Hydrogen Strategy. It sets a vision for Australia to become a major hydrogen exporter and producer by 2030. In addition, $500 million in funding has already been announced to support hydrogen projects. With an abundance of renewable energy options – like solar panels and wind turbines – and land, Australia’s well-positioned to be a world leader in producing renewable hydrogen.

Exporting hydrogen

Australia has unique advantages in terms of exporting hydrogen, based on its high-quality renewables, available land mass to develop renewables and proximity to key markets. By harnessing these emerging technologies, Australia would be able serve its domestic market as well as export green hydrogen to other countries. Developing a hydrogen industry wouldn’t just benefit the Australian economy, including through the creation of jobs, it would help reduce emissions too.

The post Hydrogen energy: what is it and how does it work? appeared first on The Origin Blog.

AAs, AAAs, Lithium-ion… You’re probably familiar with these. And if you have an elaborate Christmas lights display planned, you might even already be stashing away batteries. Or maybe that’s just what one-half of our So Watt? podcast hosting duo is guilty of (nudge, nudge Dom Fay).   

Anyway, what we’re getting at is hoarding AA batteries won’t cut it. As we increase renewables in the energy grid, we need to increase battery storage across Australia to capture excess renewable energy generated during the day so we can use it later when needed.  

And this is what we’re exploring in So Watt? – a podcast about energy hosted by Dom Fay and Zach Mander from Collective Noun. We’re looking at the transition to a cleaner energy system, powered predominantly by renewables. So, where does big battery power come in? Tune into episode four below or read on to find out.

That’s a lot of water

Batteries (of all sizes) are vital to the future of our energy grid, and so is some other mature technology: pumped hydro. Interestingly, hydro-pump isn’t just a great Pokémon move… hydro pumps use water to spin a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity. And over at our Shoalhaven Hydro Power Station in NSW, 50 million litres of water an hour is moved. To put that into perspective, a standard Olympic swimming pool is about 2.5 million litres – that’s an Olympic swimming pool worth of water every three minutes! And all this activity at maximum capacity can generate 240 megawatts.  

The water reservoir at the top of a hydro plant basically acts like a giant battery, waiting to be released to generate energy. And that is why it remains vital for the energy grid of the future, despite being an older technology. And that’s why we’re looking at expanding Shoalhaven to double its capacity. 

What about lithium-ion batteries?

While pumped hydro is an important part in the renewable energy transition, it’s not a complete solution to our storage and backup needs. Batteries (the lithium-ion kind) are also a key part of Australia’s future energy mix. In fact, batteries and pumped hydro are complementary. And while batteries are getting bigger, they run between one to four hours, pumped hydro can be used for longer-term storage, like days at a time. 

Another important difference is that batteries last up to 20 years before they need to be recycled, but a pumped hydro system could last hundreds of years. 

The speed to rollout batteries is one of the key reasons there are so many big battery projects being talked about globally. Plus, lithium batteries can be built almost anywhere, whereas hydro power facilities need to be built in mountainous areas and can take decades to build.

At home

All these big battery projects, and the rollout of EVs, will likely bring down the cost of batteries for everyone. In fact, most of us will eventually own batteries in some form, either home batteries or within an EV. There are even EVs hitting the market now that not only function as a car, but can also power your home, or feed power into the grid when it’s needed – known as Vehicle-To-Grid, or Vehicle-To-Home.  

Lithium batteries are a great short-term solution to stabilising our energy grid, but in the long-term we’ll need bigger projects like pumped hydro to provide constant energy to help keep the lights on. They’re a perfect match, and we need both as we transition to renewables.  

Hosts, Zach and Dom from Collective Noun admit they know nothing about energy – but not for long! Origin’s So Watt? podcast questions everything you thought you knew about energy, and explores the solutions that exist today. In season two of So Watt?, go on a journey with Zach and Dom to find out more about the transition to renewables, what changes are already happening and what’s coming up.  

The post Why do renewables need backup? appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Does the mention of artificial intelligence (AI) bring to mind visions of killer robots intent on world domination? You’re probably not alone, but you may have watched The Terminator a few too many times… 

What we’re actually talking about is technology that can do what a human usually does. Lots of industries generate and use data – like gaming, shopping, cars, and even energy. AI is disrupting the way we do things, and it’s completely changing the way our whole energy system operates. 

And this is what we’re exploring in the latest episode of So Watt? – a podcast about energy hosted by Dom Fay and Zach Mander from Collective Noun. So, what role does data and artificial intelligence play in the energy transition? Tune into episode three below or read on to find out. 

Let’s delve into how these new technologies will help to manage and control energy supply, demand and storage – including the coordination of large-scale generation right through to devices in our homes. 

Screen time

Let’s start by going behind-the-scenes of Origin’s Monitoring and Support Centre, where the output from all of Origin’s power plants are controlled. It’s basically a room with a lot of screens, and each screen has data on each power plant, and the National Electricity Market (NEM), including how much wind and solar generation is out there, and what other power stations are doing. 

When the NEM needs more energy, the team at Origin’s Monitoring and Support Centre turn on more gas turbines, or ramp up the output from pumped hydro, to make sure there’s enough. And when there’s a lot of solar or wind during the day, they scale back other forms of generation.  

Essentially, energy in the grid needs to balance supply and demand at all times. So, the team processes a huge amount of data each day to do that. In fact, there are over 3 trillion data points – and that’s growing every day! 

Predicting the future

Machine learning and AI play a key role in taking all this data to predict and manage changes across the grid – and it has the potential to unlock huge possibilities. 

One of the key things AI allows us to do is forecast. You’ve heard of weather forecasting, economic forecasting and predictions on fashion trends… Well, renewable energy production and energy consumption also need to be forecast to get the balance right – which means managing fluctuations in renewable energy generation when it’s cloudy or the wind stops blowing. 

And it’s data science (we swear this isn’t just a fancy way of describing someone who’s really good at Excel) that allows us to make these predictions. 

As we transition away from an energy system built around large centralised power stations, to a more renewable one with millions of points of generation (think rooftop solar) and changing electricity demand, there will be more data and more variability to manage. Making the role of data science and forecasting critical.  

The home of the future

AI could be vital to unlocking the grid of the future. It could help to use all of that data to manage the energy grid, determine where energy is needed and where that power needs to come from. It could also help Aussie households become smarter. 

For example, AI can orchestrate a home’s energy requirements on behalf of the occupants.  

If you have rooftop solar, a home battery, heating and cooling, an EV or other smart and flexible devices – then smart tech could turn them on and off at the best times to minimise your energy costs and maximise comfort… All while helping to manage demand on the grid. You wouldn’t even need to flick a switch. Pretty smart, huh?  

It’s all about managing flexibility in supply and demand – because renewables are variable, demand must be more flexible too. And one way to achieve this demand flexibility is with the assistance of AI. 

Hosts, Zach and Dom from Collective Noun admit they know nothing about energy – but not for long! Origin’s So Watt? podcast questions everything you thought you knew about energy, and explores the solutions that exist today. In season two of So Watt?, go on a journey with Zach and Dom to find out more about the transition to renewables, what changes are already happening and what’s coming up.  

The post An intelligent grid appeared first on The Origin Blog.

As the latest science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms, greater ambition and action will be required by society, including Origin, to limit the global average temperature rise this century to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.  

The energy sector accounts for around three quarters of the world’s emissions, so meeting climate change goals will require significant changes to the global energy system. The energy transition is a multi-decade, large-scale transformation that will fundamentally change the way society sources, produces, supplies, distributes and uses energy, and will deliver a significant reduction in global emissions.  

This transition also brings with it challenges, with the need to balance energy security, reliability, and affordability – particularly for the more vulnerable members of society. 

As a leading Australian energy company with operations spanning retail, power generation and natural gas production, as well as a major employer with a footprint in many communities across the country, we recognise we have an important role to play in the transition to a low-emissions future. Our core belief is that decarbonisation is good of our customers and the environment.  

Origin’s role in the energy transition

Our energy mix and the range of products and solutions we provide to our customers are evolving. First, we plan to speed up our exit from coal-fired power generation and accelerate the growth of renewables and storage in our portfolio. We’ve announced we’ll exit coal-fired power generation with the closure of our Eraring Power Station slated for August 2027.

We see a massive opportunity to increase our investment in renewables and storage over the coming years. We are progressing plans for a 700 MW battery on the Eraring site and have acquired around 1,600 megawatts (MW) of solar farm development projects.  

In addition, we have ambitions to significantly grow the scale of our virtual power plant (VPP), which uses AI to help remotely manage thousands of connected devices – including rooftop solar and home batteries – across the country. When delivered, these large scale renewable and storage projects, combined with the growth in our VPP, will help replace the capacity from Eraring with low emissions energy sources. 

The ongoing role of gas

Gas will remain important to ensuring the reliability of the energy system for many years. Gas power stations underpin reliable power supply for customers given the variable nature of renewable energy supply, for example when the sun doesn’t shine and wind doesn’t blow. Gas is also a major source of energy for heating homes in colder parts of Australia, and for many large businesses both here and in overseas markets, where Australia Pacific LNG exports gas as LNG.

Many business customers use gas as an input for industrial processes that will take a longer time to transition give that in some cases there are no clear, commercially viable alternatives available today.  

Cleaner solutions for customers

We provide energy to millions of Australian households and businesses, and these customers are at the centre of everything we do. The needs and expectations of our customers are changing, and our products and services will need to evolve to address those future needs. We will achieve this through innovation, increasing low-carbon energy options and increasing cleaner energy in our generation portfolio.

Today, these products and services include rooftop solar and batteries, renewable and carbon neutral energy, electric vehicle solutions, and our energy savings rewards program Spike that incentivises customers to reduce energy during peak demand periods. This year we also established a new business unit, Origin Zero, which serves our large business customers and aims to accelerate the delivery of cleaner energy solutions to this segment.

Origin’s first Climate Transition Action Plan, launched in August 2022, outlines our strategy and ambition to lead the energy transition and details updated targets to accelerate emissions reduction across our business. 

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