Three 100 MW-class battery storage case studies show frequency-regulation revenue and policy financing drive deployment, while thermal-runaway fires and missing standards hold it back
Using a qualitative literature review plus multi-case comparison of three operating projects above 100 MW — Hornsdale Power Reserve (100 MW/129 MWh), Gateway Energy Storage (250 MW) and Victorian Big Battery (300 MW) — the study analyzes how battery energy storage systems (BESS) provide frequency regulation, peak shaving, renewable firming, voltage support and black start in smart grids, and identifies drivers such as public–private partnerships, FCAS and arbitrage revenue and green-bank financing, alongside barriers such as thermal-runaway fires, cooling-system failure, siting disputes, missing regulatory standards and high initial capital cost.