Plan to power remote coastal tourist town with 80 pct renewables gets underway

Plans to power the Western Australia coastal town of Exmouth with an annual average of 80 per cent renewable energy are well underway, with the first instalment in what will be 16,700 solar panels installed over the past week.

Pacific Energy, a WA-based off-grid energy supply specialist, said this week that it has started installing the 9.6 megawatt (MW) solar farm as part of a 20-year power purchase deal sealed with WA utility Horizon Power around this time last year.

The Exmouth Power Project, which will also include a 49.6 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) and a 7 MW gas power station, marks Pacific Energy’s first off-grid power project to supply such a significant portion of a remote town’s annual power requirements.

To add a further degree of difficulty to the project, Exmouth – a remote town near the world-heritage Ningaloo marine park – is located in a cyclonic wind region, which takes wind power out of the equation and requires the design of the solar and battery system to be robust and to get the most out of the solar.

The BESS will also be designed to meet Horizon Power’s fault current contribution requirements, which means the microgrid system will be able to operate hydrocarbons-off (or gas-free) for prolonged periods.

“We’re pleased to report that the construction of Exmouth’s new solar farm is well underway, with the first panels installed over the weekend,” Pacific Energy said on LinkedIn.

“More than 1,500 piles have been secured in the pads, ready to safely support the arrays in this cyclone-prone region.

“The solar and BESS are expected to offset nearly 14,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually over the life of the agreement, helping to decarbonise this important UNESCO World Heritage Site.”