Over 1.6GWh of new battery storage in New South Wales shows how DC-coupled solar, grid-scale BESS, and AI-driven control are reshaping Australia’s clean energy grid.
Australia’s National Electricity Market just got a serious upgrade: more than 1.6GWh of new large-scale battery storage has cleared major milestones in New South Wales. For a grid that still leans heavily on coal, this isn’t a headline detail — it’s a structural shift.
Potentia Energy’s 1,000MWh Tallawang Solar Hybrid project has cleared federal environmental approval, while Fluence has delivered its Gridstack systems for Ampyr Australia’s 600MWh Bulabul Battery. Both projects sit inside the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), which is fast becoming a blueprint for how utility-scale solar, batteries, and smart control systems can work together.
This matters because green technology isn’t just about more solar panels; it’s about controlling when and how clean energy flows. That’s where energy storage, AI-driven optimisation, and better grid design come together — and why these New South Wales projects should be on the radar of any business or investor looking at clean energy in 2026.
Why 1.6GWh of New Storage in NSW Is a Big Deal
The key point: large-scale batteries are now central infrastructure, not experimental add-ons. The Tallawang Solar Hybrid and Bulabul Battery projects together represent over 1.6GWh of storage capacity moving toward operation in a single Australian state.
Here’s why that matters for the green technology story:
- Coal is leaving, but demand isn’t. New South Wales is retiring aging coal plants. Without flexible storage, renewables alone can’t reliably keep the lights on when the sun sets or demand spikes.
- Renewable Energy Zones need storage to work. The Central-West Orana REZ already has access rights for 7.15GW of renewables and storage. Storage is what turns that capacity into firm, dependable power.
- Batteries make solar more valuable. Without storage, solar floods the grid at midday and collapses in the evening. With storage, you can shift that energy into peak-demand periods where prices and impact are higher.
The reality? These projects mark a shift from “more megawatts” to smarter megawatts — and that’s where AI, software, and intelligent grid control quietly do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Inside the Tallawang Solar Hybrid: DC-Coupled and Future-Proof
Potentia Energy’s Tallawang Solar Hybrid has now passed both state and federal approvals, with no conditions under the EPBC Act. That’s a serious green light in a country where environmental regulation can make or break large projects.
At its core, Tallawang is:
- 500MW solar PV plant
- 500MW / 1,000MWh DC-coupled battery energy storage system (BESS)
- Located in the Central-West Orana REZ, New South Wales
Why DC-Coupled Solar-Plus-Storage Matters
Tallawang isn’t “just another solar farm with a battery.” It’s DC-coupled, and that design choice changes both performance and economics.
DC coupling means:
- Solar panels feed the battery and the inverter on the DC side.
- Less conversion loss: power doesn’t need to go DC → AC → DC → AC as often.
- You can store clipped energy — the extra solar output that would normally be wasted at times when the inverter is at maximum capacity.
In practice, that means:
- Higher total energy capture from the same PV array.
- Better arbitrage opportunities (charge when solar is abundant and prices are low, discharge when prices spike).
- A cleaner grid profile — fewer sharp export spikes, more controllable output.
This is where AI and digital optimisation typically come in, even if it’s not always front-page news:
- Algorithms can forecast solar production and wholesale prices.
- They decide when to charge, discharge, or hold.
- They balance multiple revenue streams: arbitrage, frequency control, capacity services.
You don’t see that on a project data sheet, but it’s the difference between a good asset and a great one.
Potentia’s Play: Portfolio, Not One-Off
Tallawang also sits inside a 1.2GW renewable energy portfolio Potentia acquired in Australia. That portfolio approach matters:
- Shared grid learnings: one project’s connection and operations experience lowers risk for the next.
- Portfolio optimisation: digital platforms can coordinate dispatch across several assets, not just one site.
- Stronger financing story: lenders prefer diversified, scalable platforms over isolated projects.
For investors, developers, and large energy users, Tallawang is a signal: large-scale solar in Australia is now expected to come with serious storage attached. Anything else risks being stranded by grid constraints and volatile prices.
Bulabul Battery: A 600MWh Anchor for Grid Stability
Where Tallawang is a hybrid plant, Bulabul Battery is a standalone storage powerhouse. Fluence has now delivered its Gridstack equipment for the project, marking a key construction milestone.
Bulabul’s specs:
- 300MW / 600MWh battery energy storage system
- Developed by Ampyr Australia
- Uses Fluence Gridstack modular cube-based technology
- Located near Wellington, also in the Central-West Orana REZ
This project is designed as grid infrastructure first, generation second. Its primary job is to:
- Support grid reliability as coal exits the system.
- Smooth renewable output across the REZ.
- Provide fast-response services like frequency control and contingency reserves.
Why Modular, Grid-Scale BESS Matters
Fluence’s Gridstack platform is built around modular cubes. That’s not a cosmetic design choice — it has direct commercial value:
- Faster construction and commissioning. Pre-engineered blocks shorten on-site work and reduce risk.
- Scalability. Capacity can be expanded in phases as grid needs and market signals evolve.
- Standardisation. Repeatable design improves reliability, spare parts planning, and O&M practices.
From a green technology perspective, modular BESS platforms are what allow countries to deploy storage at scale, not as one-off bespoke engineering projects, but as productised infrastructure.
Community and Indigenous Equity: A Smarter Social Model
Ampyr hasn’t only focused on hardware. The project also includes an Aboriginal equity model that gives local Indigenous communities a continuing economic stake in the asset.
That matters for three reasons:
- Social licence: Large infrastructure lives or dies on community acceptance.
- Long-term benefits: Equity models move beyond one-off grants into ongoing participation.
- Replicability: If this model works, it can be reused for future storage and renewable projects across Australia.
Green technology isn’t just solar and batteries. It’s also new models of ownership, benefit sharing, and governance that make the transition durable and fair.
How AI and Software Turn These Batteries into Green Technology Engines
Here’s the thing about large-scale batteries: hardware sets the ceiling, but software decides how close you get to it.
Behind projects like Tallawang and Bulabul, you’ll typically find a stack of digital tools:
- Forecasting engines predicting solar generation, demand, and prices.
- Optimisation software choosing charge and discharge strategies across multiple markets.
- Grid-forming and grid-following controls managing voltage, frequency, and stability.
- Asset performance management that tracks degradation and maintenance.
For businesses and investors following the Green Technology theme, a few lessons stand out:
1. Storage ROI Is Now a Software Question
Two 600MWh batteries, same chemistry and size, can produce very different financial returns depending on how they’re operated.
Smart operators will:
- Use AI to optimise multiple revenue streams.
- Dynamically adjust strategies as market rules and price patterns evolve.
- Integrate batteries with other assets (solar, wind, flexible loads) through a common digital platform.
2. Co-Located Storage Is Becoming Mandatory for Utility Solar
Industry voices, from OEMs like Wärtsilä to Australian market operators, are saying the same thing: large-scale solar without storage is rapidly losing its edge.
What co-located storage enables:
- Higher connection caps by smoothing export profiles.
- Avoiding negative price events by storing instead of dumping energy.
- Firm capacity contracts that back corporate PPAs and utility tenders.
If you’re planning a utility-scale solar project in 2026 or beyond, expecting to add storage “later” is increasingly unrealistic. Markets and regulators are moving faster than that.
3. REZs Need Intelligent Coordination, Not Just Capacity
New South Wales is treating the Central-West Orana REZ as a system, not a scatter of projects.
That system-level view means:
- Storage is placed and sized to support the whole zone, not just single plants.
- Connection standards, operating envelopes, and market access are designed with high renewables in mind.
- Software platforms can coordinate dispatch across multiple assets in the REZ.
This is exactly where AI and advanced optimisation fit into the broader Green Technology theme: they’re the glue holding together intermittent generation, flexible storage, and a more complex, dynamic grid.
What This Means If You’re Planning or Financing Clean Energy
Most companies get this wrong. They still think in terms of “build a solar farm” or “add a battery.” The smarter approach is to think in systems and portfolios.
Here’s how these NSW projects translate into practical moves:
For Developers
- Design hybrid from day one. Follow the Tallawang model: size storage for both clipping recovery and grid services, and consider DC coupling where it fits the grid and market.
- Standardise where you can. Using modular BESS platforms like Bulabul’s reduces engineering time and financing friction.
- Plan your software stack early. Dispatch optimisation, forecasting, and performance analytics shouldn’t be afterthoughts.
For Corporate Energy Buyers
- Prioritise solar-plus-storage PPAs. You’re not just buying clean energy; you’re buying reliability and price stability.
- Ask how the battery earns revenue. A well-optimised asset often means more stable, competitive pricing for you.
- Look at REZ participation. Projects inside well-designed renewable energy zones tend to have better grid outcomes and fewer curtailment risks.
For Investors and Lenders
- Back portfolios, not orphans. Potentia’s 1.2GW portfolio strategy is a good example of how to de-risk.
- Interrogate the digital layer. A strong optimisation and control platform is now as important as the EPC contractor.
- Watch community models. Indigenous equity and local benefit-sharing arrangements can materially reduce social and political risk.
The Bigger Picture: Green Technology Grows Up
What’s happening in New South Wales right now is a preview of how green technology infrastructure will look in the late 2020s: hybrids instead of stand-alone assets, storage at the core, and software as the quiet value driver.
Tallawang’s 1,000MWh DC-coupled system and Bulabul’s 600MWh standalone battery aren’t just more capacity numbers to quote. They’re proof that solar-plus-storage and grid-scale BESS have moved into the “must-have” column for serious energy planning.
If you’re building, buying, or financing energy in this decade, the question isn’t whether to integrate storage and intelligent control — it’s how fast you can align your strategy with projects like these.
The next wave of leaders in the green technology space will be the ones who treat storage and AI not as add-ons, but as the operating system of the clean energy transition.