A town in Western Australia has officially unveiled a world-first – A solar diesel power station that stores energy in flywheel “batteries”.
Western Australian Mines and Petroleum Minister Moore officially opened Horizon Power’s Pippunyah Solar Diesel Power Station on Friday.
Located at Marble Bar in the eastern Pilbara region, the power station incorporates the largest single axis tracking solar farm in Australia, combined with the latest diesel technology and an innovative flywheel energy storage system.
The 1,350 SunPower solar panels follow the path of the sun and produce a generating capacity of 1,160 kW. It’s expected the solar farm component will provide up to 89% of the town’s electricity needs during peak periods in summer.
The solar hybrid power station will save 1,119 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year and save between 35-40 per cent diesel consumption per year (approximately 412,000 litres of fuel annually).
The station began powering the town of Marble Bar in May but the testing period was only completed at the end of July. Another station using the same technology is currently under construction at Nullagine, 88km south of Marble Bar and Horizon Power is also planning to build solar diesel power stations in the remote Aboriginal towns of Kalumburu and Yungngora (Noonkanbah)
The Pippunyah Solar Diesel Power Station project was supported by the Federal Government, through the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (now replaced by the Solar Credits program), and implemented by WA’s Office of Energy.
