Australia’s first major grid-connected solar battery farm is now live in Far North Queensland.
Conergy’s $42.5 million project is providing power to 3,000 homes and businesses on the Cape York Peninsula, close to Cooktown and some 240 km north-west of Cairns.
Lakeland Solar and Storage is the first large-scale solar battery project providing dispatchable electricity to the grid when needed.
And it stands as an industry test case for ‘islanding’. This occurs when a section of the grid provides stand-alone power during outages and blackouts.
The project comprises a 10.8 MW solar farm featuring more than 40,000 solar panels. These stand alongside a 1.4 MW / 5.3 MWh lithium-ion battery. After flicking the switch on Lakeland 1, second-phase Lakeland 2 is now underway to complete the whole project.
ARENA testing potential of grid-connected solar storage
The Lakeland project has received $17.4 million of funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
According to ARENA chief executive Ivor Frischknecht, the facility will help determine the most effective way to marry solar PV and battery storage technologies on a large scale.
Mr Frischknecht described the Lakeland project as a world first in testing the practice of islanding from the main grid.
Solar storage farms on the fringe of electricity grids have great potential to shore up local electricity supply and build reliability into the network.
Thorough battery testing will therefore be carried out over two years. Conergy will then switch to ‘island mode’ during evening peak to see if the concept works.
ARENA and Conergy hope this will allow the remote town of Lakeland to exist purely on solar energy and storage batteries for several hours.
Grid-connected solar battery farm great news for business
ARENA also hopes Lakeland is the first of many similar grid-connected solar storage farms in Australia’s more inaccessible areas.
If the approach proves viable, Lakeland will subsequently pave the way for combined solar storage facilities alongside other remote communities connected to the grid.
This will supply clean, reliable and affordable power to households and businesses needing a guaranteed source of energy.
Once complete, Lakeland and Lakeland 2 will provide 30 MW of local solar generation plus storage. This equates to running around 4,015 standard home air-conditioning units for eight hours during peak daytime heat.
Take part in the solar revolution yourself: contact Energy Matters to discuss a quote for solar power installation and battery storage for your home or business.
