A remote Northern Territory community solar roll-out program has entered phase two.
With funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the NT government, the Solar Energy Transformation Program (SETuP) project is bringing solar energy to 26 off-grid communities across the Top End.
The ambitious program is now entering its second phase. Phase one included installing solar and battery storage across 10 off-grid Indigenous communities.
Dubbed ‘Tranche Two’, the $59 million project will deliver 5.6 MW of solar panels to 17 towns, from Finke near the South Australian border, to Arnhem Land and the Tiwi Islands.
Tranche Two will see a 1 MW solar power system installed at the Tiwi community Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island. Upon completion, it will supply a further three Tiwi communities on Bathurst and Melville Islands.
ARENA said SETuP aims to cut diesel use in remote communities by 15 per cent. This equates to 94 million litres of fuel over the lifespan of panels installed.
Daly River led Northern Territory community solar roll-out
Late in 2017, Daly River became the first NT township to become 100 per cent powered by solar during daylight hours.
Provided during Tranche One with a 1 MW solar-battery installation, Daly River was a test site for future SETuP locations.
The 400-strong township houses a large solar array, and stores surplus energy using a 0.8 MW/2 MWh lithium-ion battery. Just as batteries like Tesla’s Powerwall 2 help homes go solar, this system has halved Daly River’s reliance on trucked-in diesel.
Daly River elder Mark Casey said harnessing the power of the sun was significant for the remote township.
“Now the sun will come down, shine on [the panels], power our houses, and take care of the everyday aspects of life,” he said.
Laying the groundwork for future solar/storage
The SETuP program is the largest roll-out of solar to remote communities ever seen in the Top End.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said solar could be rolled out across the NT as costs fall.
Over time this could lead to a high percentage of towns using renewable power, driven by cheaper costs.
Along with SETuP, ARENA has also funded other off-grid renewable energy projects helping to reduce remote communities reliance on diesel. This includes Coober Pedy’s hybrid renewable energy project and microgrids in remote Australian islands.
