New South Wales is looking at changing electricity network tariffs so large industrial users can get more value from thermal energy storage. The state's energy department says current charges do not recognize flexible loads that shift power use away from peak periods, even though technologies like electric thermal energy storage (eTES) can absorb surplus renewable electricity and release it as heat or steam. Network charges can make up half of an industrial electricity bill, and companies like Antora say those fixed charges are the biggest barrier to deploying eTES at scale. MGA Thermal signed its first commercial customer this year for a 195 MWh project in Western Australia. NSW has also opened a $2 million grant round offering $25,000 to businesses that spend over $200,000 a year on energy, covering emissions inventories, fuel switching studies, and climate risk assessments. The article is relevant to anyone tracking industrial decarbonisation, network tariff reform, and the shift from simply adding renewables to cutting emissions in harder-to-abate sectors.
