Then turned towards others watching with him; and with a chuckle, observed: “Ha, a, ha, that’s not a battery … that’s a battery” he pointed out the window.
He wasn’t kidding, although he did get one thing wrong. You see, he wasn’t really taking about one battery.
But if you drop into Moama Bowling Club you’ll really see what batteries are all about – because there are 177 of them piled high on pallets, waiting to be installed, hooked up to the 1500 solar panels across the carpark and roof of the club, and switched on.
To put the batteries in context, combined they weigh a staggering 23 tonnes and once operational will be capable of storing, and delivering, 2.15 megawatts. That's enough – MBC sales and marketing manager George Santos pointed out – to keep everything at the club ticking over for several days in the event of a bad blackout or power system failure.
“It is incredible to stand here and look at this pile of untapped power; it will really go a long way to ensuring the club can continue to function no matter what happens,” Mr Santos said.
“And in the unlikely event any demand on our green energy goes on for too long, we will also have a back-up generator to call on – but we’ll be delighted if we never have to see it.”
“There have been some delays getting our batteries from China; and steel for the set-up of the overhead panels in the car park, but just about everything is here now.”
Well, almost everything.
There’s just one last thing, not exactly an incidental thing, either – the experts required to actually do the installation, from integrating the battery power with the diesel generator (just in case) to providing a connection with all the precincts within the club – are currently locked down in WA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Balance Group has to come from Perth to commission and incorporate the panels and batteries into our power system; and that’s likely to be around the end of August,” Mr Santos said.
“Did I mention when our microgrid is set up it will also be driving four electronic car charging stations as part of our renewable energy commitment?
“So hopefully in five or six weeks we will all be able to get really turned on.”
More local news
Echuca pub owner fined for opening during lockdown
Echuca hospital vaccine clinic offering Pfizer for priority groups
Bartram juggling motherhood and coaching and loving it
10°C