The Solar/Diesel Mini-Grid Handbook was prepared by Power and Water under the Daly River Solar Research Project and expanded as part of the Solar Energy Transformation Program (SETuP) with support from the Australian Government through ARENA.
Report extract
Power and Water is committed to delivering least cost, reliable and safe electricity services to remote Aboriginal communities and has long pursued alternative energy source options. Power and Water recognises the opportunity solar technologies present to reduce the reliance on diesel fuel and drive down operational expenditure.
Power and Water has a track record of close to three decades of owning and operating solar/ diesel hybrid systems in remote Aboriginal communities. Through the Solar Energy Transformation Program (SETuP) and other recent projects, Power and Water achieved a step-change in its remote generation portfolio, with the hybridisation of a majority of the diesel mini-grid fleet to include solar. This includes an installed capacity of over 11 MW of flat plate solar, as well as an 800kVA Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Daly River, with solar contributing 10% to remote community energy needs at the time of publication
