We have used a $500,000 grant from the Federal Government's Community Batteries for Household Solar program, to install a 500kWh community battery in Brunswick.

Through an innovative partnership the project aims to deliver a range of benefits including additional subsidised solar installations for low-income residents, improved network conditions, and emissions reductions.


Why install at 797 Sydney Road?

We assessed several Council-managed sites within Brunswick for the community battery.

The site assessment considered:

  • safety
  • practicality
  • the ability to construct at the location
  • electricity network constraints
  • impacts to residents and businesses

Through this process, 797 Sydney Rd was identified as the most suitable site for the battery.

The battery uses 2-3 carpark spaces (4% of total spaces). The design and installation were completed to ensure safety standards were met and impacts on traffic flow and parking were minimised.

A painted mural artwork around the battery has made a positive contribution to the local area.

What is a community battery?

A community battery, also sometimes referred to as a “neighbourhood battery”, is a type of energy storage. They can sometimes store excess solar energy that is generated on the rooftops of nearby buildings and houses.

Community batteries work to balance electricity supply with demand by charging from the electricity grid in the day when excess solar energy is plentiful, and discharging later in the day, when energy is most needed (and the sun is no longer shining).

Community batteries can help reduce pressure on the local electricity grid and increase access to clean renewable energy for the surrounding neighbourhood.

A community battery would typically be located at the street level close to where electricity is being consumed and generated.

Benefits of the Brunswick Community Battery

The Brunswick community battery will aim to create a number of benefits:

Frequently Asked Questions

We have received Federal Government funding to install a 500 kWh community battery in the Brunswick area.
The $500,000 grant is from the Federal Government's Community Batteries for Household Solar program.

The program will see 400 batteries installed across Australia, increasing access to renewable energy.

The grant funding agreement requires that the battery be installed in Brunswick.

We undertook a site selection process that considered multiple factors. These included:

  • practicality,
  • the ability to construct at the location
  • impacts to residents and businesses
  • electricity network constraints

Through this process, 797 Sydney Rd was identified as the most suitable site for the battery within Brunswick.

The battery was installed between Sept 2025 and April 2026.

Council worked with suppliers to minimise impacts to car parking provisions and access during construction.

The battery has inbuilt air conditioning units to keep the battery cells cool when in operation. Like air conditioners in homes and businesses, they will make some noise when in operation.

Noise levels from the battery are approximately 70db at 1m from the units (comparable to local traffic noise). Additional sound attenuation panelling has been installed in the fencing to further limit noise.

The footprint of the battery system is approximately 5m x 6m and requires between 2-3 carpark spaces (approximately 3% of the total available carparking space).

This footprint includes a number of connected battery cabinets, clearances around the battery, fencing and bollards.

Throughout design and installation of the battery, Council and our suppliers have made sure that the battery complies with all relevant standards to address risks including:

  • Fire safety
  • Noise levels
  • Flood risk
  • Physical risks (e.g. vandalism, vehicle collisions)

The operational model we have used aims to maximise financial benefits through charging the battery from the grid while electricity is cheap and discharging electricity back into the grid when prices are high.

Money made from the battery, after operational costs are covered, will be directly re-invested as additional funding into our solar subsidy program. This program subsidises access to solar installations for residents on a low-income.

The battery also aims to achieve a number of indirect benefits including network stability and facilitating greater renewable energy operation on the grid.

These batteries are bigger than a home battery. A typical household battery (often used to store rooftop solar energy) might have a storage capacity of up to about 10 kilowatt-hours (kWh). This might be enough to power your average household for a day.

On the other hand, community batteries range from 100 kWh to 5 megawatt-hours (MWh) in capacity, enough to power a small neighbourhood for a few hours during peak demand, typically in the evening.

The Brunswick community battery has a storage capacity of 500kWh.

Community batteries can be owned by electricity distribution businesses or third parties such as community energy groups, electricity retailers, and private investors.

The Brunswick Community Battery will be owned by Merri-bek City Council, with an energy retailer operating the battery on Council’s behalf.