Solar and battery microgrids slash diesel and dollars in six remote towns

A more than $15 million bid to add large-scale solar and battery storage to the power systems of six regional Western Australia towns has been completed, with the installation of a 758kW PV system and 336kWh BESS in Norseman.

State-owned utility Horizon Power said on Wednesday that Norseman, in WA’s Esperance region, is the sixth and final town to get a solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) as part of its Mid West Solar Program, which kicked off in 2021with $13.5 million in federal funding.

The six solar and battery systems are owned by Horizon and operated and maintained by Pacific Energy, the same WA-based company that has designed and built each of the renewables-based microgrids.

Pacific Energy chief Jamie Cullen says the solar and battery systems have been designed to work alongside existing diesel generation systems to decarbonise the towns’ power supplies and improve the reliability of supply.

“The six solar systems have a combined capacity of over 2,000kW, and have generated and exported more than 1.8 million kilowatt hours of solar energy between January and November this year,” Cullen says.

“Better still, the 4,300kWh of BESS across the six sites will store excess solar energy generated during the day to improve grid stability and power quality and ensure the towns can benefit from renewable energy even when the sun isn’t shining.”

Horizon says the energy systems installed across the six Mid West and Goldfields towns, including Cue, Sandstone, Yalgoo, Meekatharra and Wiluna, will save around $900,000 a year in operation costs, dampening the impact of fluctuations of fuel prices.

“The solar and battery systems provide a cleaner, greener alternative for remote towns that are currently relying solely on diesel generation for their energy needs,” Horizon chief Stephanie Unwin said on Wednesday.

“As well as helping to reduce carbon emissions, the solar and battery systems will deliver a lower cost solution for these communities.”

Horizon is nowin the process of commissioning another five standalone renewables-first generators to supply power to remote towns in the north of Western Australia, backed by either a battery or potentially a hydrogen system.

This time around the five systems will be expected to provide almost 10,000 kWh of power to 10,272 homes and businesses in Broome, Derby, Camballin/Looma, Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek.

According to Expressions of Interest documents published in May, all of these systems must meet minimum annual renewable energy requirements, which for the biggest towns – Broome and Derby – is 80 per cent.

But Horizon has also made it clear that it is most interested in any proposals that can help it beat those minimums over the next five-10 years.