Australia has been viewed by many as the pioneers of hybrid plants — where wind, solar, or other forms of generation are combined with storage to "firm up" variable generation and provide other services such as arbitrage and fast frequency response.
This stems from the well-publicised Hornsdale Power Reserve project (aka "Tesla big battery"), which was a South Australia government-led project arising from the region’s highly politicised blackout in 2016. The ensuing politics of this event — and the high penetration of renewables in South Australia — has led to the growth of a strong narrative about firming renewable generation, which on the surface drives enthusiasm for hybrid plants.
