Queensland researchers and industry partners have brought online Australia’s first grid‑connected sodium–sulfur (NaS) battery energy storage system, marking a key step for long‑duration storage and local power electronics manufacturing.
The 250kW / 1.45MWh NaS battery has been installed at Lava Blue’s PRiSM (Center for Predictive Research into Specialty Materials) facility in Brisbane as part of the QUT Queensland Energy Storage Technology (QUEST) Hub. Unlike an earlier NaS demo on an isolated microgrid, this system is fully integrated with the National Electricity Market, operating under real industrial conditions.
Long-duration storage with local DC–DC converters
A standout feature of the project is the use of Queensland‑made DC‑DC converters, developed and manufactured by Advanced Converter Solutions (ACS). These converters interface the NaS battery with high‑voltage infrastructure, while Australian engineering firm Allset Energy handled the installation from design through commissioning. Over 80% of the custom control unit was built using Australian content.
NaS batteries offer six or more hours of storage and have over two decades of commercial deployment worldwide, making them well suited to:
- renewable energy firming
- peak demand management
- grid stability services
Powering cleaner critical minerals
At the PRiSM site, the battery supports solar‑powered processing of critical minerals into high‑purity materials for battery, semiconductor and advanced manufacturing supply chains. Lava Blue is demonstrating hydrochloric acid (HCl)‑based processing as a more sustainable alternative to conventional sulfuric acid routes tied to petroleum refining.
By combining renewable electricity, long‑duration NaS storage and lower‑emissions mineral processing, the facility positions itself as Australia’s first solar‑powered light industrial plant, and as a model of university–industry collaboration in the energy storage sector.
Source: Phys.org
