Wärtsilä is to supply a 64 MW/128 MWh energy storage system for Octopus Australia’s Fulham Solar Battery Hybrid project. The project secured Generator Performance Standards approval in June last year and will be one of the earliest large-scale DC-coupled hybrid battery systems on the National Electricity Market. The project, which pairs the DC-coupled battery with an 80 MW AC solar farm, marks a significant step in Australia’s transition to co-located hybrid renewable energy and storage solutions. It highlights a growing trend toward integrating renewable energy and storage to support grid stability, of particular relevance as solar and wind curtailment becomes more common.
This is Wärtsilä’s first collaboration with Octopus Australia, a subsidiary of Octopus Group, and represents a landmark achievement in demonstrating the value of DC-coupled technology at scale. DC-coupled solar-plus-storage systems offer a streamlined approach to energy management. By allowing solar generation to flow directly to the battery through a DC/DC converter, this architecture is designed to minimise conversion losses when integrating energy storage with solar assets. Securing GPS approval was crucial to ensure the successful design and approval of the innovative DC-coupled hybrid system, with Wärtsilä’s GEMS Power Plant Controller technology playing a central role.
GEMS, will sit at the forefront of the project, managing the integration of both the energy storage system and solar assets with the grid’s connection requirements.
Construction on site has commenced, with completion expected in 2027. Wärtsilä will also provide a long-term service agreement to guarantee the project’s continued performance and reliability.
