Horizon deploys new technology for greener micro-grids in isolated communities

Western Australia government-owned power company Horizon Power is to start deploying a new technology system that will better integrate distributed renewable energy resources into micro-grids across regional and remote areas of the state.

Horizon Power says its new distributed energy resources (DER) management system enables utility-owned energy resources – such as power stations, solar farms, and batteries – to be safely integrated with distributed customer owned energy resources – such as rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles.

The announcement this week follows Horizon Power’s successful deployment of a DER management system to manage a regional microgrid at its Onslow Renewable Energy Project, a first for an Australian utility.

The DER management system’s role at Onslow was to enable more than four times the amount of rooftop solar to be installed than in a traditional energy system.

The Onslow Renewable Energy Project under the management of Horizon’s DER system was able to demonstrate running at 100% solar and battery power for 100 minutes last year.

Ray Achemedei, Horizon Power’s general manager for technology and digital transformation, said about 60% of Horizon Power’s energy systems are dealing with limits on rooftop solar, and deploying the management system will increase solar use, lower bills, and help reduce emissions.

“This deployment is ground-breaking as it enables rooftop solar, customer batteries, electric vehicles, centralised solar and batteries, and the traditional centralised power station to all work together in a coordinated way to maximise renewable energy supply, without adversely impacting power quality and reliability,” he said.

The new DER management system will first be rolled out in Brooke at the start of 2023 before it is progressively deployed across all of Horizon Power’s other systems by mid-2024.