Steve Wilson

Having developed and delivered landmark projects centred on battery energy storage systems, Steve Wilson, Principal Power Generation Engineer at Aurecon, has become an expert in this emerging field.

In addition to highly technical battery project innovations, he has contributed to the innovative delivery of such systems by supporting a reliable transition to increasing levels of renewable energy generation.

Wilson was Lead Technical Adviser to the South Australian Government in the development and execution of the Hornsdale Power Reserve, a 100 MW battery project.

Covering approximately one hectare of land, the battery is located at the Hornsdale Wind Farm, South Australia’s largest renewable electricity generator.

Working in this role, he led the definition of project requirements and specifications to ensure successful delivery across a range of project objectives.

South Australia’s battery is unique not just because it is the world’s largest lithium-ion battery system or because it was conceived and constructed in record-breaking time.

It also addresses specific technical and market needs in the South Australian network, providing a targeted contribution to the state’s objective of ensuring reliable, affordable and clean power for South Australian consumers.

Wilson advised the South Australian Government throughout all phases of project definition, specification, procurement and execution through to final testing.

This included assessment and stakeholder engagement on how the battery’s unique capabilities could best be deployed to meet key government objectives, and on the development of the formal operating protocol for the facility.

In the wake of the Hornsdale battery’s success, the Australian Energy Market Operator has reported an unprecedented growth in energy storage registration and connection applications.

The project has built confidence in the ability of such large storage schemes to be successfully integrated into the electricity network and markets.