<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-and-battery-microgrid-saves-lord-howe-island-1-5m-in-diesel-fuel-costs-in-two-years/>
"A solar and battery-based microgrid installed on the World Heritage-listed
Lord Howe Island on the coast of Australia in the Tasman Sea delivered more
than $1.5 million in diesel fuel cost savings in its first two years of
operation, a new report has revealed.
Commissioned in April 2021, the Hybrid Renewable Energy Project (HREP) was
installed to provide a sustainable supply of electricity for the 400 residents
and up to 400 tourists on Lord Howe Island, slashing its reliance on costly and
polluting diesel fuel generation.
The $11.1 million project, developed by Photon Energy and backed by the
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) installed 1.3MW of solar with a
3.7MWh Tesla battery energy storage system and micro-grid controller, alongside
the existing diesel system of three 300kW generating units.
It received $4.5 million in funding from Arena, while the Lord Howe Island
Board secured a NSW government loan of $5.9 million, providing the remaining
balance of funds from its own capital.
Within its first six months of operation, the microgrid proved its worth, with
reports emerging that the solar and battery system had navigated stretches of
up to five days and nights powering the island without any additional
diesel-generated back-up.
But in a knowledge sharing report published this week, Arena says the project
has outperformed expectations on a number of fronts, including the average
amount of renewables it supplies, forecast at 67%. And it has saved the island
hundreds of thousands of dollars a year."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
