First 50 of 1,000 standalone solar plus battery systems head to remote towns

The first 50 standalone solar and battery systems being rolled out by the Western Australian government are set to be delivered in the Esperance region in January.

Designed to replace the hundreds of kilometres of powerlines necessary to deliver power to remote communities, the WA government has promised to deliver 1,000 standalone power systems over the next five years.

The first 50 of these systems destined for the Esperance region are currently being delivered and are expected to be rolled out from January 2023.

Each standalone system consists of solar panels, a PV inverter, battery storage, and the unfortunately necessary diesel backup generation. Each system’s size will depend on the customers’ needs but will vary from 10kWh to 70kWh.

All told, the state-owned Horizon Power will roll out 150 standalone power systems in the Esperance by 2025.

The regional communities – part and parcel of living in Western Australia – will benefit from the rollout of these standalone systems. Not only will the systems provide cleaner energy – with systems providing an average 80% renewable energy – but they will result in the removal of ageing power infrastructure, increasing safety.

Already, 41 customers from the towns of Beaumont, Munglinup, and East Munglinup, have signed up to receive one of the 50 standalone power systems, of which 9 have been constructed and are ready to be installed in January.

The rollout of standalone clean power systems is part of the McGowan government’s drive towards a low-carbon future.

“In keeping with our commitment to decarbonise energy in Western Australia and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2030, we committed to roll out 1,000 SPS across the State,” said Bill Johnston, WA energy minister.

“The Esperance region will benefit from the roll out of the first 50 of these clean energy systems from January, with nine already constructed and ready for installation.

“Western Australia is leading the way in the green energy evolution, improving safety and reliability in regional areas at the same time.”