Nestled amid green rolling hills in western Victoria , 150 tonnes of metal has begun spinning to help secure the electricity grid.

Next to the Ararat terminal station and inside a large grey shed, a steel blue “pony motor” turns a massive rotor at 750 revolutions a minute.

Operators took the machine for its first spin on 10 November, with final testing to continue until the end of the year before it is brought fully into operation. What is ‘dunkelflaute’? And how will a new long-duration battery change Australia’s energy grid? Read more

When it officially syncs to the grid, the Ararat synchronous condenser – or syncon – will be by far the largest of its kind in Australia. This peculiar device will whirl away, available to keep the power system secure and respond in the event of di

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