What is behind the meter battery storage?
It’s a battery installed on the customer’s side of the grid connection, so the energy it stores is used on site before anything is exported. In a multi-tenant building, the meter that matters is the building’s single connection point. A battery behind it can serve every lot and the common property through the embedded network, rather than one tenancy.
What is embedded network battery storage?
It’s battery storage connected inside a building’s embedded network. Because the network already meters every lot, the stored energy can be used and measured across the whole site instead of being tied to one apartment or to common property alone. That’s why a shared battery can pay its way across a whole building, when a battery in a single apartment rarely does.
Is a community battery the same thing?
It’s closely related. A community battery is a shared battery that serves a group of homes or businesses instead of one. Active’s community battery program places batteries inside the Local Energy Networks we run in lifestyle villages, retirement communities and commercial precincts. Stage 2 of the program adds 11 x 110kW Sungrow systems across a growing portfolio of sites.
Does a building with solar also need a battery?
Not always, but it’s usually where a battery earns its keep. Solar peaks in the middle of the day, and most buildings use the most power in the evening. Without a battery, surplus solar goes back to the grid for a low return. With one, it’s held on site and used when grid power costs the most. We model both cases at the assessment so you can see the difference.
Does the owners corporation need to approve a battery?
In a strata scheme, usually yes. Installing equipment on common property normally needs a resolution of the owners corporation (the body corporate in Queensland) rather than a committee decision, and your strata manager will confirm what applies. In a retirement village or commercial site, the operator or owner makes the call. Either way, we prepare the modelled return, so the decision is made on the numbers.
Can we add a battery when we change operator or renew with Active?
Yes, and it’s often the best time to do it. If another operator runs your network, Active takes it over first, because that’s what lets the battery connect. If we already run it, renewal is the natural point to add one. Either way, the metering and the network are being reviewed anyway, so battery storage, solar, and EV charging can be added in the same process.