Project: Yack02 Community Battery

A second community battery!

TRY is excited to announce the progress of our second community battery Yack02, made possible with significant financial support from the Victorian Government’s 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program and grant funding from the Australian Ethical Foundation. We are also grateful for the support of the Yackandandah Community Centre, which contributed through its Community Grants program.

About

Why Yack02 is essential

Increasing battery storage capacity is a critical step towards achieving Yackandandah’s vision of meeting 100% of local power needs with renewable energy. By storing solar energy generated during the day, Yack02 allows the community to make use of this clean power source during peak evening hours. This time-shifting capability not only boosts the share of renewable energy in the local grid each night but also helps alleviate peak demand on the broader electricity system.

A community-driven initiative

Yack02 represents two years of community fundraising and planning, rooted in the enduring spirit of community collaboration that defines the Sports Park facility. Supported by the Indigo Shire Council, this project stands as a testament to what communities can achieve through vision and determination.

Supporting the energy transition

As Australia shifts from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the need for storage solutions like Yack02 grows at all levels—national, state, and local. This transition is mapped out in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s Integrated System Plan. Yack02 is our contribution to a more resilient, sustainable energy future.

Where will Yack02 be located?

Yack02 will be located at the northwest corner of the main facility, alongside a new 65 kW rooftop solar installation on the stadium. The installation area is carefully prepared to ensure safety, with the battery on an engineered concrete slab surrounded by non-combustible gravel and managed landscaping.

Installation

Battery details

Timeline

How will Yack02 work?

Each day, Yack02 will charge primarily from the expanded 65 kW rooftop solar system, increased from its current 8 kW capacity. Stored power will be used to meet the facility’s energy needs each evening, with any excess fed back into the grid, significantly reducing grid power consumption, cutting costs for the Sports Park Committee, and contributing to substantial carbon savings.

Additionally, Yack02 is designed to provide backup power during outages. It will keep essential circuits active, including lighting, gas hot water ignition, power points, and heating/cooling systems. A generator change-over plug will also be available, allowing mobile generators to connect during extended power outages.

With an expected operational life of over 15 years, Yack02 is designed not only to provide immediate benefits but also to generate sufficient revenue to cover future maintenance and end-of-life services. Upon completion, ownership of the battery will transfer to the Indigo Shire Council, who will manage its operation through a specialised service provider.

Safety & reliability

Yack02’s Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry is known for its exceptional safety record. It complies with Australia’s rigorous standards for stationary batteries, specifically AS5139:2019 and AS4777:2, ensuring the highest level of fire safety and electrical compliance. Each battery cell is monitored independently, allowing for automatic shutdown if any operating parameter exceeds safe limits.
Yack02 is a community-powered step towards a clean, resilient energy future, helping Yackandandah lead by example in the transition to 100% renewable energy.

FAQs

Safety

Who assesses the battery to ensure it is compliant with all safety regulations?

Indigo Power, our installation partner, conducted a rigorous assessment to ensure the design met the standards of TRY, Indigo Shire Council, and the Sports Park Committee. The system will comply with the following Australian Standards

• AS4777: Grid connection of energy systems,
• AS5033: Install and safety of PV arrays,
• AS3000: Electrical installations,
• AS4086: Secondary Batteries for PV,
• AS5139: Electrical installations – Safety of battery systems for use with power conversion equipment
• AS1170 Wind loading PV mounting

TRY has an independent third-party engineer reviewing all designs to ensure the battery will operate as intended. All contractors will be inducted by Indigo Shire Council and will have the required electricity industry and clean energy regulator qualifications.

What happens to the battery once it is no longer useful?

The choice of battery was informed by the expected long life of the Pixii technology and which we expect will still provide meaningful storage up to and beyond fifteen years. Options in Australia for recycling are increasing and much of the battery can be recovered and repurposed for a second life. Recycling plants in Europe are now recovering 95% of battery contents and Australia is quickly catching up with these standards.

Will the battery be noisy?

The Pixii PowerShaper battery energy storage system operates at around 59 decibels (dBA) when under maximum load, which is similar to the sound level of a normal conversation or background office noise at a distance of one metre. Under typical conditions, the noise level can be significantly lower; at 50% load, it decreases to 49.6 dBA, similar to the ambient sound in a quiet suburban area.

The actual noise impact will depend on factors such as the installation environment, system configuration, and load. The Fitzroy North community battery, another Pixii PowerShaper, has achieved exceptionally low noise levels thanks to thoughtful installation design, demonstrating the effectiveness of proper noise mitigation.

To further minimise impact, our system will be fully enclosed in a soundproof cabinet with noise-dampening baffles on the cooling system. Additionally, a cover will shield the battery from direct sun and weather, providing extra noise mitigation. We are committed to ensuring that the battery operates at acceptable noise levels for the surrounding recreational activities.

What role will local emergency responders play with the battery?

The Pixii PowerShaper battery system uses Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) technology, a battery chemistry known for its enhanced safety and stability. Unlike other lithium-ion batteries, LFP batteries are highly resistant to overheating and thermal runaway, significantly reducing the risk of fire.

The battery installation will fully comply with Australian Standards for fire safety of stationary batteries, and these requirements will be carefully assessed during the design, installation, and inspection phases. Once the system is in place, TRY will collaborate with the local CFA command to ensure emergency responders are informed of the battery’s safety features and are familiar with approved safety protocols and procedures.

By choosing LFP technology, we’ve prioritised the highest level of fire safety to protect both the facility and the surrounding community.

Does the battery mean the Sports Park will become an emergency refuge?

No.

The Sports Park is not currently a safer place or refuge to seek out during a fire or storm threat. It is noted the park has forest on three sides and has only one sealed road into the park and a creek on the northern boundary. It is anticipated that the Sports Park may be of value after an emergency has occurred, but that decision would be made at the discretion of emergency managers.

Physical configuration

What will the battery look like

The cabinets will be located along the western wall at the northern end of the main facility. There will be two battery cabinets with each cabinet being 2.4 metres tall, 1.4 metres wide and 0.8 metres deep.

The batteries are supplied in a non-descript, grey/cream cabinet which is weatherproof and secure. It is expected the project team will build a creative cover to protect it from direct sun and weather and to help it blend into the aesthetic of the Sports Park area.

Will it take up lots of room

The battery will be securely positioned on a 4 metre by 3.4 metre concrete slab along the wall of the Scout Hall, with a 1.2-metre gap to allow for safe foot traffic and uninterrupted maintenance activities in the area.

Operation

How much power can the battery store?

The battery will store 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) of battery storage with a peak output of 60 kW.  This size of storage is more than the Sports Park facility would use on a busy night of tennis or for watering of the cricket ground.  The unused power will be exported to the electricity grid to boost the volume of locally generated power in the grid each evening. 200 kWh is roughly enough power to run 20 typical Victorian homes through the night.

Will the battery keep the power on in Yackandandah during network outages?

The battery will necessarily disconnect from the mains electricity network when a power outage occurs. Therefore, it will not keep the power on in Yackandandah.

However, the battery will be able to keep the main Sports Park facilities running during a power outage, which will be of most interest following emergencies where people may be seeking the services provided by electricity, including device charging, lights, air conditioning, toileting and cooking.

How will the batteries charge?

We are excited to report that 58 kW of extra solar panels will be added to the roof of the stadium meaning the battery will charge mainly from on-site solar generation. The battery will charge during the day when it is sunny, and then power the facility each evening and release stored power to the electricity grid when demand is high.

What happens if the batteries go flat during an outage?

Power outages may occur when the battery has minimal stored energy in which case the battery may not last very long in an outage – the timeframe it will last is obviously dependent on how much power is being used, and how much power was stored.

Once the sun starts shining again, the batteries can restart charging from the solar panels.
In addition, the sports park has a generator changeover plug so it remains an option to add a mobile diesel generator to energise the facility.

Governance

Why do we need a community battery?

We have two key motivations for the battery.

• First, to achieve a 100% locally generated renewable power supply we need to keep adding more solar generation, and to find ways to store local and distant renewable power to serve users when there is low or no solar generation or other sources of renewable energy.
• Secondly, batteries are also a key part of our strategy to reduce carbon emissions and boost energy resilience to support community during sustained outages and after emergencies.

Who will own the battery?

Indigo Shire Council will assume ownership of the battery on behalf of the community and ensure it is being operated and maintained in accordance with designed use. Indigo Shire Council will manage a Services Agreement with an appropriate provider of battery services to operate, maintain and remove the battery at end of life. In the first instance it is anticipated that Indigo Power will be that provider.

The maintenance, operation and retirement of the battery energy storage system will be funded directly through proceeds of the battery.

Who is paying for the battery to be installed?

Via the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program, the Victorian Government is funding the battery component of the overall project to the value of $288,000. TRY is also thankful to be the beneficiary of a $40,000 grant from the Australian Ethical Foundation and a $3,000 grant from the Yackandandah Community Centre.

The remaining balance of funds have been raised by Totally Renewable Yackandandah from donations.

Who gets the benefit of the battery?

The battery will be another significant advancement in supporting the township toward 100% renewable power. The learning from this will also support decisions on future batteries in Yackandandah and in other communities.

Substantially though, the Sports Park Committee will receive a much lower power bill, supporting them to invest savings in other more productive activities within the Sports Park area.