No, Mr Bowen, community batteries are not a substitute for nuclear

At a recent press conference in Bexley North in Sydney’s south, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced the opening of the latest community battery. Labor has promised to roll out at least 400 community batteries in the coming years. Interestingly, Bexley North is about 25km away from Lucas Heights where Australia’s OPAL nuclear reactor is located. But what Mr Bowen didn’t say is that this battery will not keep the lights on if the power goes out. And not only that, if the power goes out the battery ceases to function until the power comes back on. Community batteries are not a substitute for baseload nuclear power generation.