The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced yesterday it would be providing $5.5 million support for an off-grid hybrid power project on Flinders Island.
Flinders Island is situated 54 kilometres from Cape Portland on the north-eastern tip of Tasmania and is the largest island in the Furneaux Group. Like many island communities, it relies heavily on polluting, expensive diesel fuel for power generation that must be shipped in.
That’s about to change.
The Hydro Tasmania project will utilise a combination of solar power, wind energy, diesel generation, flywheel and battery energy storage; plus associated technologies. It’s expected the project will reduce the island’s diesel consumption by more than 60%.
“The Flinders Island project will build on the success of a similar project Hydro Tasmania developed on King Island with ARENA support, which is delivering 100 per cent renewable energy to the island when conditions allow,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknech.
A novel aspect of the Flinders Island project will be the development of a series of modular units fabricated off-site to create a portable hybrid energy solution.
With Australia home to many off-grid communities and industries, what is learned through Flinders Island will be shared nationally to promote competitive, reliable renewable energy power solutions and help reduce reliance on diesel fuel for electricity generation. The equipment developed could also serve temporary uses such as in disaster relief or in the mining industry.
“This low-cost, scalable approach has the potential to be a real game changer in remote areas – reducing the amount of construction and engineering work needed to be carried out on site would significantly reduce costs, risks and construction time,” said Mr. Frischknech.
The $12.9 million Flinders Island project is scheduled for completion in November 2016.
In addition to a massive hydropower portfolio and the successful King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project (KIREIP), Hydro Tasmania operates some of Australia’s largest wind farms, including the Musselroe (168MW), Bluff Point (65MW) and Studland Bay (75MW) facilities.
Hydro Tasmania’s wind farms harness the energy of the “Roaring 40’s” – strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40 and 50 degrees.
ARENA was established by the Australian Government on 1 July 2012 with a mission to invest in research and development of renewable energy projects and technologies. ARENA was in the crosshairs of the Abbott government last year, but survived and is currently supporting more than 200 projects.
