Australia’s vast untapped solar energy resources are set to be utilised in a diesel-PV-lithium-ion battery hybrid project to bring power to an Aboriginal community.
Energy storage solutions manufacturer QINOUS will supply a 800 kW / 1,987 kWh lithium-ion battery system to store excess solar energy and provide grid-forming functions of the diesel generators after winning an international tender.
Utility company Power and Water Corporation commissioned the construction of the hybrid system as part of a plan to transform the energy system of Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory state.
Steffen Heinrich, technical director at QINOUS, said: “Our energy storage solutions and the integration of renewable energies enable the cost effective transition of conventional power generation systems into hybrid systems.
“By temporarily storing excess energy as well as managing and stabilizing the grid, our system allows the diesel generators to be switched off completely during the day.
“This leads to an increase of renewable energies in hybrid systems, and ensures the supply of affordable and clean energy in the community.”
Factory acceptance test of the battery system is planned in June, and the project is scheduled to go into operation in October 2016.
