Australia just moved 1.6GWh of new battery storage toward operation. Here’s what Tallawang and Bulabul mean for solar, grid stability, and your clean energy strategy.
Australia just pushed more than 1.6GWh of new large-scale battery storage toward reality in a single state.
That’s not a press-release vanity metric. That’s the difference between a grid that creaks under summer heatwaves and one that can soak up solar in the middle of the day, then keep homes and businesses powered after dark.
This matters because green technology isn’t just about adding more solar panels and wind turbines. It’s about pairing them with smart, flexible storage and intelligent control so the whole system behaves like a stable, efficient machine. New South Wales’ latest projects – Potentia Energy’s Tallawang Solar Hybrid and Ampyr Australia’s Bulabul Battery with Fluence technology – are a sharp example of where the market is heading as we move into 2026.
In this post, I’ll break down what these projects actually are, why DC‑coupled solar-plus-storage is getting so much attention, how grid-scale batteries support a high-renewables system, and what all of this means if you’re a business, investor, or policymaker thinking seriously about clean energy and green technology.
1. What’s Really Happening in New South Wales?
Two projects in the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) have just hit major milestones:
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Tallawang Solar Hybrid (Potentia Energy)
- 500MW solar PV
- 500MW / 1,000MWh DC‑coupled battery energy storage system (BESS)
- Federal environmental approval under the EPBC Act with no conditions attached
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Bulabul Battery (Ampyr Australia + Fluence)
- 300MW / 600MWh standalone BESS
- Fluence’s Gridstack hardware delivered to site, moving the project into advanced construction
Together, that’s 800MW of power and 1,600MWh of storage in a single REZ. For context, 1,600MWh can:
- Shift a large solar farm’s output several hours into the evening peak
- Provide fast-response backup when a coal unit or transmission line trips
- Support frequency and voltage services that keep the grid stable as synchronous generators retire
New South Wales is already phasing out coal and targeting high renewable penetration. These projects don’t just “add capacity”; they provide control – time-shifting, ramping, and stability services that make a renewables-heavy grid workable.
The reality? This is a preview of what any serious decarbonising market will need to build, and fast.
2. Why DC‑Coupled Solar-Plus-Storage Is Getting So Much Attention
The Tallawang Solar Hybrid project uses a DC‑coupled architecture. That sounds technical, but the underlying idea is simple: the solar panels and battery share the same DC bus and inverters, instead of each having their own AC connection.
Here’s why that matters.
Direct answer: DC‑coupled hybrids squeeze more value from solar
DC‑coupled solar-plus-storage can:
- Capture energy that would otherwise be curtailed (when solar output is “spilled” because the grid can’t take more)
- Reduce conversion losses, because power goes panel → DC bus → battery without double conversion
- Share infrastructure (inverters, transformers, grid connection), lowering capex and grid connection complexity
In markets like Australia where daytime solar is booming, the middle of the day is starting to see negative prices and high curtailment. A DC‑coupled system quietly grabs that excess and stores it for the evening peak when prices are higher and demand is strong.
That’s not just a technical optimisation. It’s a revenue story:
- More captured MWh from the same solar farm
- Better arbitrage between low-price and high-price hours
- Stronger participation in ancillary services markets (frequency response, contingency reserves)
Wärtsilä, Fluence, and other storage players have been blunt about this: co-located battery storage is becoming non-negotiable for utility-scale solar if you want a viable business case over the next 10–20 years.
Practical implications for developers and investors
If you’re planning or financing a large solar project in 2025–2026, asking “battery or no battery?” is the wrong question. The better questions are:
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What DC‑coupled configuration maximises captured energy and grid value?
– Battery duration (2h vs 4h) has a direct impact on how much negative-price energy you can soak up and re-sell. -
How does storage change your grid connection profile?
– A DC‑coupled plant can cap export at the grid connection limit while still using extra DC capacity behind the meter. -
Which software and controls platform can optimise the hybrid as a single asset?
– The hardware is important, but the real money is made in how the solar and battery are dispatched together.
These questions move you from “compliance mindset” to portfolio optimisation mindset – which is exactly where serious green technology players need to be.
3. Standalone Batteries: Bulabul and the New Grid Backbone
While Tallawang is about an optimised solar hybrid, Bulabul Battery is all about grid support.
Ampyr Australia’s 300MW/600MWh project uses Fluence’s Gridstack platform – modular battery cubes designed for utility applications. The key point: standalone batteries are becoming the flexible backbone of high-renewables grids.
What a 600MWh BESS actually does for the grid
A system of this size in a REZ can:
- Provide fast frequency response in milliseconds when there’s a disturbance
- Soak up renewables during periods of congestion and release them when the grid can handle more
- Support system strength and voltage control with advanced inverter functions
- Participate in energy and ancillary markets to stabilise prices and reduce volatility
600MWh might look smaller than Tallawang’s 1,000MWh, but its role is different: Bulabul isn’t tied to a specific generator. It can respond to system-wide needs and market signals across the National Electricity Market (NEM).
This mix – co-located hybrid plus standalone BESS in the same REZ – is exactly what a mature renewable energy system should aim for:
- Hybrids optimise individual project economics and reduce curtailment.
- Standalone batteries act as the agile toolkit for the system operator and market.
The community and equity piece: not optional anymore
One detail that stands out at Bulabul is Ampyr’s Aboriginal equity model, designed to deliver ongoing economic benefits to local Indigenous communities.
This isn’t just a nice-to-have add-on. From a risk and delivery standpoint, it’s smart project design:
- Stronger social license = lower planning risk and smoother approvals
- Long-term equity and benefit-sharing = better community support during operations
- Local participation = a pipeline of skills and jobs aligned with the clean energy transition
Most companies underestimate how quickly a project can be stalled – or killed – by community pushback. Baking equity and engagement into your green technology projects from the start is no longer optional if you want a predictable build-out.
4. How AI and Digital Tools Turn Storage into a Green Technology Platform
Both Tallawang and Bulabul are more than piles of batteries and panels. They’ll ultimately be run by software that decides, every few seconds, how to charge, discharge, or hold energy.
Here’s where AI and digital optimisation fit into the green technology picture.
AI is what makes large batteries genuinely “smart”
Modern BESS and hybrid plants rely on advanced control systems that:
- Forecast solar generation, grid demand, and prices using machine learning models
- Optimise dispatch to maximise revenue while respecting grid constraints and warranty limits
- Manage battery degradation, extending asset life and reducing replacement capex
- Provide autonomous grid support (frequency, voltage, synthetic inertia) faster than human operators could react
The result:
A 600MWh battery with strong AI-driven control behaves less like a static asset and more like a grid services platform.
This is the quiet power of green technology – the combination of clean hardware (solar, batteries) with intelligent software that squeezes out waste, increases flexibility, and keeps the system stable.
What this means for businesses and energy users
If you’re a large energy user, council, or commercial property owner watching these mega projects, here’s the key lesson:
You don’t need 600MWh in your backyard, but you can adopt the same principles at smaller scale:
- Pair rooftop or on-site solar with behind-the-meter batteries and smart control
- Use AI‑based energy management systems to time-shift usage away from peak tariffs
- Offer demand response or flexibility services to your retailer or grid operator
This is where green technology directly affects your bottom line: lower bills, reduced emissions, and better resilience during grid stress events.
5. Strategic Lessons for 2026: How to Act on This Trend
Australia’s Central West Orana REZ is quickly becoming a live case study of how to build a high-renewables region with storage at its core. If you’re planning your own clean energy strategy for 2026 and beyond, these are the practical lessons worth acting on.
1. Treat storage as core infrastructure, not an add-on
Most companies and even some utilities still bolt batteries onto projects late in the process. That’s a mistake.
Storage should be in the first slide of your planning deck, not the last:
- For generators: size and structure storage to handle curtailment, volatility, and grid constraints.
- For large energy users: plan batteries and flexible loads into your site master plans.
2. Prioritise co-location where possible
If you already have or plan to build solar or wind:
- Assess the economics of DC‑coupled storage instead of separate AC‑connected assets.
- Model scenarios with high curtailment and negative pricing – that’s when co-location earns its keep.
3. Invest in software and operational intelligence
A mediocre battery with excellent optimisation software often outperforms great hardware with poor controls.
Focus on:
- Forecasting accuracy (solar, demand, and prices)
- Automated dispatch strategies aligned with your risk and revenue goals
- Health monitoring and degradation management
4. Build community benefit into your business case
Take a page from the Bulabul Battery approach:
- Design equity models, benefit sharing, and co-ownership structures early
- Create serious, not token, pathways for local and Indigenous communities to participate
Projects that share value are projects that actually get built.
Australia’s 1.6GWh leap in New South Wales is more than regional news; it’s a signal of where serious green technology is heading: hybrid solar-plus-storage, standalone grid batteries, AI-driven control, and community-backed development.
If your organisation wants to stay ahead of that curve, the question isn’t whether to integrate storage and smart control into your energy strategy – it’s how quickly you can do it and how intelligently you design it.
The next wave of competitive advantage won’t come from who builds the most solar. It’ll come from who builds the most flexible, intelligently operated clean energy systems.
FAQ: Quick Answers for Decision-Makers
How big are these New South Wales projects?
Tallawang Solar Hybrid is 500MW solar with a 500MW/1,000MWh DC‑coupled battery. Bulabul Battery is a 300MW/600MWh standalone BESS. Together they add 800MW of power and 1,600MWh of storage.
Why does DC‑coupled solar-plus-storage matter?
It cuts losses, reduces curtailment, shares infrastructure, and improves project revenue by capturing energy that would otherwise be spilled.
Where does AI fit into battery storage?
AI and advanced control software forecast, dispatch, and protect batteries, turning them from static assets into flexible grid tools and revenue engines.