Key Takeaways
- Australia installed its 100th community battery on 16 September 2026, in Esperance, Western Australia, under Horizon Power’s regional deployment program.
- ARENA committed $23.2 million for 35 more batteries across three new projects.
- YES Group received $10.29 million for 14 batteries in South Australia and New South Wales.
- Ausgrid received $8 million for 21 batteries across Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter region.
- The City of Newcastle received $5 million for battery storage integrated with embedded solar networks in regional Queensland.
- Community batteries extend rooftop solar’s benefits to renters and apartment residents who can’t install their own panels.
A Regional Town Reaches a National Milestone
The 100th battery was installed in Esperance, Western Australia, part of Horizon Power’s regional deployment program under the Australian Government’s Community Batteries Funding Initiative.A program built to bring grid-scale renewable benefits to communities far from the big east-coast metro areas with Australia’s already-covered clean energy growth story.
ARENA followed the milestone with $23.2 million in fresh funding for 35 additional batteries across three projects:
- YES Group ($10.29 million, 14 batteries across South Australia and New South Wales)
- Ausgrid ($8 million, 21 batteries across Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter region)
- City of Newcastle ($5 million, batteries integrated with embedded solar networks in regional Queensland).
ARENA is managing $171 million of a broader $200 million government package designed to expand the reach of household solar.
Batteries or Panels?
Community batteries are becoming a better solution compared to rooftop solar. Storing midday solar surplus for use in the evening, when demand is higher, that improves grid stability and reduces pressure on local networks. ARENA’s acting chief executive, Chris Faris, pointed to growing confidence in community-scale storage as a driver behind the program’s expansion, and said the data collected from these 100 batteries will help shape future commercial deployments.
The Part That Matters Most: Who Gets Access
Unlike rooftop solar, which only benefits households that own a roof, community batteries extend renewable savings to renters and apartment residents. That’s the detail that turns this from an infrastructure story into an access story, and it’s exactly the kind of tangible, human-scale proof point that gives Australia’s clean energy growth narrative real weight for investors evaluating the sector.
