Iconic opal mining town Coober Pedy will become the nation’s latest renewable energy township after a deal was struck between Hydro Tasmania and Energy Developments Limited (EDL) to build a multi-megawatt solar and wind project to augment the desert community’s ailing diesel generation system.
The new hybrid plant will supply roughly 70 percent of isolated town’s energy from solar and wind. When conditions allow, the plant will cover all the town’s energy requirements, replacing EDL’s off-grid 3.9 MW diesel power station that relies on trucked-in fossil fuel to supply the town’s 3500 residents with electricity.
According to Energy Matters, Coober Pedy receives solar irradiation levels of around 5.83 kilowatt hours per square metre daily and the average wind speed is 5.33 metres a second.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has backed the Coober Pedy Renewable Diesel Hybrid project with an $18.4 million grant for EDL to build the project with a view to deploying similar technologies in other off-grid communities in rural Australia.
Hydro Tasmania’s proven technologies in the field of renewable hybrid systems helped secure the grant and earned the praise of ARENA CEO, Ivor Frischknecht.
Hydro Tasmania’s successful King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project (KIREIP) attracted more than six million dollars in ARENA-backed funding and reduced the Bass Strait Island’s annual diesel consumption by 60 per cent.
“The Coober Pedy project is a prime example of Australia’s world-leading expertise in devising renewable micro-grid solutions with strong commercial potential,” Mr Frischknecht said.
“This is a next-generation off-grid project, taking advantage of advanced renewable and enabling technologies that have already been successfully trialled at off-grid locations such as King Island.”
The EDL hybrid plant will consist of a one-megawatt solar PV array and four- megawatts of wind energy generation, along with a one-megawatt, 0.5- megawatt/hour battery storage and inverter system. The renewable technologies will be integrated with EDL’s existing 3.9 MW diesel power station and are expected to replace roughly 70 percent of diesel requirements over the 20-year life of the plant.
“Combining wind, solar, battery storage and smart control systems could provide a blueprint for off-grid communities to access cleaner and cheaper power and achieve energy independence by greatly reducing their reliance on trucked-in diesel.”
The District Council of Coober Pedy has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with EDL to develop the hybrid plant, with support from the South Australian government.
The project is set to begin construction in September this year and commence commercial operations in the first half of 2018. The project has been in the works for quite some time – we first reported on it back in 2014.
Image credit – District Council of Coober Pedy
