ZEN chosen for first round of ARENA Community Battery Grant


1 July 2024.

Community-based renewable energy solutions are key to building climate resilience, ZEN Energy CEO Anthony Garnaut said following confirmation today the company has received conditional approval of an Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) Community Battery Grant.

ZEN’s community battery project is one of 370 that ARENA has chosen to fund in its first, $143 million-dollar, round of grants. ARENA received an unprecedented amount of applications received with a total grant request of $1.3 billion.

The Community Batteries for Household Solar program will improve access to distributed battery storage for households and community organisations across Australia.

Receiving a conditional ARENA Community Battery Grant will enable projects to prove the financial and emissions reduction benefits of integrating energy storage in and around the daily lives of people, Anthony said.

“ZEN’s community battery project will help to improve community energy-independence and contribute to the knowledge necessary to become more resilient to climate damage.

“We wish to see community batteries enable cheaper, cleaner energy storage for households and businesses, and provide valuable knowledge that can be shared across Australia to fast-track the implementation of these local batteries.”

Media enquiries: Paul Sheridan, 0410 516 656, paul.sheridan@zenenergy.com.au

ZEN continues its PPA expansion, this time into New South Wales.

18 May 2023

ZEN continues its PPA expansion, this time into New South Wales. ZEN Energy announced its first agreement with MYTILINEOS for offtake from its Wagga Wagga South solar farm. MYTILINEOS, a leading developer of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects, entered the Australian market in 2019 and has financed and built five solar farms across NSW and Queensland, with two more under construction.

“We are delighted to be working with MYTILINEOS on expanding our portfolio. ZEN is continuing to expand our PPA profile, now on a monthly basis,” said ZEN Energy’s Executive General Manager of Future Energy, Mark Sinclair. “We actively seek to work with innovative partners with a laser focus on delivering renewable projects as fast as we can.”

ZEN and MYTILINEOS have agreed to a long-term contract with ZEN taking 80% of the electricity and LGCs generated from the 18.7MW plant. The plant is now in commissioning phase and is expected to enter commercial operation in Q2 2023.

“Bringing on a series of mid-range assets enables us to support the regional aspirations of our customers. It means they can access offtakes where they are located, like regional distribution centres. We are continuing to focus on creating agreements with progressive companies like MYTILINEOS, taking on PPAs across regional Australia,” Mark added.

 

ABOUT MYTILINEOS

MYTILINEOS Energy & Metals, founded in Greece in 1990, is an industrial and energy multinational company, listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, with a consolidated turnover of €6.3 billion and EBITDA of €823 million and employs more than 5.442 direct and indirect employees in Greece and abroad. Through the Energy Sector, the company is strategically positioned at the forefront of the energy transition as an integrated “green” utility, while through the Metallurgy Sector the Company is establishing as a benchmark for competitive “green” metallurgy in the European landscape. Focused on sustainability, it has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 30% by 2030 and achieve by 2050 net zero carbon footprint in all its operations in accordance with ESG criteria for Environment, Society and Governance.

For more information, please visit: www.mytilineos.gr | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn

ZEN continues its PPA expansion, this time into New South Wales.

18 May 2023

ZEN continues its PPA expansion, this time into New South Wales. ZEN Energy announced its first agreement with MYTILINEOS for offtake from its Wagga Wagga South solar farm. MYTILINEOS, a leading developer of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects, entered the Australian market in 2019 and has financed and built five solar farms across NSW and Queensland, with two more under construction.

“We are delighted to be working with MYTILINEOS on expanding our portfolio. ZEN is continuing to expand our PPA profile, now on a monthly basis,” said ZEN Energy’s Executive General Manager of Future Energy, Mark Sinclair. “We actively seek to work with innovative partners with a laser focus on delivering renewable projects as fast as we can.”

ZEN and MYTILINEOS have agreed to a long-term contract with ZEN taking 80% of the electricity and LGCs generated from the 18.7MW plant. The plant is now in commissioning phase and is expected to enter commercial operation in Q2 2023.

“Bringing on a series of mid-range assets enables us to support the regional aspirations of our customers. It means they can access offtakes where they are located, like regional distribution centres. We are continuing to focus on creating agreements with progressive companies like MYTILINEOS, taking on PPAs across regional Australia,” Mark added.

 

ABOUT MYTILINEOS

MYTILINEOS Energy & Metals, founded in Greece in 1990, is an industrial and energy multinational company, listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, with a consolidated turnover of €6.3 billion and EBITDA of €823 million and employs more than 5.442 direct and indirect employees in Greece and abroad. Through the Energy Sector, the company is strategically positioned at the forefront of the energy transition as an integrated “green” utility, while through the Metallurgy Sector the Company is establishing as a benchmark for competitive “green” metallurgy in the European landscape. Focused on sustainability, it has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 30% by 2030 and achieve by 2050 net zero carbon footprint in all its operations in accordance with ESG criteria for Environment, Society and Governance.

For more information, please visit: www.mytilineos.gr | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn

Why Renewable Energy?

Why is renewable energy vital for Australia to become a Superpower in the decarbonised economy?

In any discussion about how Australia will achieve its Net Zero targets, renewable energy tops the list of priorities that must be implemented effectively to mitigate the impacts of Climate Change.

Renewable energy, also known as renewables and clean energy, are in simple words “Energy that is obtained from sources that are for all practical purposes inexhaustible (…). Contrast this with energy from sources such as fossil fuels, of which there is a finite supply which is exhaustible. ” – Oxford Dictionary.

Therefore, such sources don’t emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases that have proven to be significant contributors to the planet’s rising temperatures.

Carbon Dioxide and its effects on the environment

The critical threat from increased Carbon Dioxide is the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere that would otherwise escape into space, causing average temperatures on the surface to rise. Global warming is one of the main symptoms of Climate Change.

There are good news out there too!

To date, Australia has committed to reduce green gas house emissions by 43% in 20230 and reach Net Zero by 2050 and to do so, the usage of renewable resources has been scaling up trough clean energy assets such as solar and wind farms, hydropower and storage.

Investments in such assets are critical, not just an environmental necessity, but a pathway to economic resilience. Australia is very fortunate to have wind and sun highly abundant throughout the year, which means that there are enough resources for the country to lead by example.

Our team volunteering at the Forktree Project in 2022. The project founded by Tim Jarvis is restoring tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs on the property, bringing back native animals, insects, and birds, and sequestering tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon.

Understanding renewable energy sources

Wind: By harnessing the power of wind through turbines usually located on hilltops or near the ocean, its motion spins an electric generator which produces energy.

Solar: Solar energy is produced from solar PV (photovoltaic) panels. The combination of heat and light from the sun creates electricity. In addition to Solar Panels (light) and Solar Thermal (heat), concentrating solar power (CSP) plants use mirrors to concentrate the sun’s heat, creating thermal energy.
Combining solar energy generation and  battery storage is a great solution to store your clean, green, renewable energy 24 hours a day. Is excellent for the environment and even better for your pocket.

Hydropower: This renewable energy source generates power by altering the natural flow of a river or body of water. The force of the water turns the turbines and this generates electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid to power homes and businesses.

The impact on the economy

Australia’s economy will experience job creation, innovative technologies and obviously the benefits of being a decarbonised country that will assist on the transition to developing nations. The transformation to renewables is not only, strategic yet necessary for a bright future.

ENDS.