A scorching autumn hot on the heels of a massive blackout event in south-eastern Australia is demonstrating the importance of residential batteries for backup power supply.
Australia is on track to have sweltered through the third-warmest summer on record nationally, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). Western Australia racked up its hottest summer ever in 2023-24. And an El Niño effect resulted in storms and the third-highest summer rainfall.
The arrival of autumn brought little relief to south-eastern Australia. Residents of Victoria and South Australia have suffered through a stretch of scorching temperatures in the form of a four-day heatwave. Both day and night-time temperature records were registered during the heatwave, which only broke yesterday – Tuesday, March 12.
During the heatwave, daytime temperatures in both states were as much as 20 C higher than normal March averages. Making things worse, temperatures failed to fall once the sun set – overnight lows of 29 C in Cleve, South Australia, and 26.2 C at Melbourne Airport set new records and brought little relief for homeowners.
Electricity system strain
The heatwave came only one month after a massive blackout left more than 500,000 Victorians without power – some for hours, others for days.
As extreme weather becomes more common, the Australian electricity network is coming under serious strain. Around the country high temperatures and extreme weather events are pushing the electricity network to the brink.
Along with the major blackout impacting Victorians, record “underlying electricity demand” was registered in NSW and a few days earlier in WA.
Rooftop PV is a big part of the solution, but it needs to be bolstered with solar batteries to deliver power where and when it’s needed most. Thankfully the contribution of home batteries is being recognized more widely and their backup power capabilities is expanding.
Let’s look into the Victorian blackouts to get a better understanding of the need at hand.
1 Comment
A scorching autumn hot on the heels of a massive blackout event in south-eastern Australia is demonstrating the importance of residential batteries for backup power supply.
Australia is on track to have sweltered through the third-warmest summer on record nationally, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). Western Australia racked up its hottest summer ever in 2023-24. And an El Niño effect resulted in storms and the third-highest summer rainfall.
The arrival of autumn brought little relief to south-eastern Australia. Residents of Victoria and South Australia have suffered through a stretch of scorching temperatures in the form of a four-day heatwave. Both day and night-time temperature records were registered during the heatwave, which only broke yesterday – Tuesday, March 12.
During the heatwave, daytime temperatures in both states were as much as 20 C higher than normal March averages. Making things worse, temperatures failed to fall once the sun set – overnight lows of 29 C in Cleve, South Australia, and 26.2 C at Melbourne Airport set new records and brought little relief for homeowners.
Electricity system strain
The heatwave came only one month after a massive blackout left more than 500,000 Victorians without power – some for hours, others for days.
As extreme weather becomes more common, the Australian electricity network is coming under serious strain. Around the country high temperatures and extreme weather events are pushing the electricity network to the brink.
Along with the major blackout impacting Victorians, record “underlying electricity demand” was registered in NSW and a few days earlier in WA.
Rooftop PV is a big part of the solution, but it needs to be bolstered with solar batteries to deliver power where and when it’s needed most. Thankfully the contribution of home batteries is being recognized more widely and their backup power capabilities is expanding.
Let’s look into the Victorian blackouts to get a better understanding of the need at hand.