Energy Made Clean (EMC) has been chosen by Western Australian energy provider Synergy to supply and install a trial battery storage system at Alkimos Beach.
In March, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced funding for a trial of rooftop solar with battery storage at the new estate, located north of Perth. The project includes installation of a 1.1MWh lithium-ion battery based energy storage system within the residential community.
EMC states it will assemble and commission the system at its new Osborne Park manufacturing facility before commencing the installation on-site at Alkimos Beach in September this year; with view to it being operational by December 2015.
“We are excited by Synergy’s vision to explore the benefits of energy storage technology and their invitation to collaborate on this trial,” said EMC CEO John Davidson. ” It will undoubtedly provide valuable data and insights about this relatively new technology and how to best integrate it into a traditional network.”
This isn’t the first significant battery storage project for the company; which has been designing, building and operating renewable energy systems since 2004. EMC recently commissioned a 624kwh lithium battery system in an off-grid application at Thevenard Island, which is located approximately 22kms off the coast of Onslow, south of Karratha.
The Thevenard Island system has already proven itself. While other towns experienced blackouts during the wrath of Cyclone Olwyn earlier this year, Thevenard Island’s power station not only survived, but continued providing electricity throughout the event.
EMC is also the company behind the 290kW Solar Farm Carnarvon; also in Western Australia. Connected to Horizon Power’s Carnarvon network, the system was the first off-grid solar power purchase agreement (PPA) supported PV facility in Western Australia. Construction was completed in 8 weeks, on time and $500K under budget according to EMC.
Engineered to withstand category D cyclonic conditions, Solar Farm Carnarvon’s solar panels in Australia generate 600,000 kWh of clean electricity annually and avoids the use of 180,000 litres of diesel a year.
Last year, the company also concluded an 18-month trial of diesel hybrid-electric bus technology for the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. A diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain bus was operated in regular revenue service alongside the conventional bus fleet.
