Flow Power is expanding its battery-firmed, solar farm offering to New South Wales with a DC-coupled battery and solar project in Cootamundra.
Located on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people, Cootamundra Solar Farm became operational in January 2024. It features over 8,000 solar panels and will export 11,800MWh of clean solar energy to the grid annually.
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In 2025, Flow Power will add a DC-coupled Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to the project, allowing it to store solar energy during periods when demand and prices are low, and then export clean energy back to the grid when the energy is needed most.
The project combines the benefits of renewable energy, the flexibility and responsiveness of firming technologies and support of the local community. This clean energy project is Flow Power’s third site to host local farmers’ sheep, with the panels raised to provide shade and shelter.
With NSW wind projects being slowed by approval delays, project costs and lead times, Flow Power COO Byron Serjeantson argues co-located battery-solar projects like Cootamundra are helping to bridge the gap in renewable generation coverage and represent one of the upcoming trends in Australia’s Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) market.
Serjeantson said, “As Australia’s energy market continues to transition, there is a growing need and opportunity for renewables that can be more flexible and responsive to market volatility.
“With our South Australian Berri project delivered last year, and another recently completed in Newstead, Victoria, we are really proud of our exceptional team and their ability to pioneer new technologies and solutions to support our customers.”
With the Cootamundra project, Flow Power aims to replicate the success of its first smart solar project, the Berri Solar Farm—the first demonstration of utility-scale DC-coupled storage in Australia.
Since its launch in April 2023, the model has delivered substantial benefits for Flow Power customers, including helping Westpac to reach its goal to source the equivalent of 100 per cent renewable energy for its Australian operations.
Despite higher upfront costs, solar and BESS often provides more value to customers compared to solar on its own. It provides better generation coverage through shoulder periods, helping the grid to meet energy demands when solar generation tapers.
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The Cootamundra project is supported by Flow Power’s proprietary kWatch platform, responsive technology that supports increased customer engagement and enables projects to respond to market signals more intelligently through automated and optimised control systems.
This project brings Flow Power’s total renewable energy portfolio close to half a gigawatt of owned and contracted wind, solar and storage projects. Flow Power’s growing pipeline of projects also includes standalone BESS projects across the National Electricity Market.
