A 1MW redeployable solar-diesel hybrid power plant was unveiled this week in Combabula, regional Queensland – fully operational after being installed in just one week.
The pilot-scale plant – believed to be the world’s first of its kind – is the product of an ARENA-backed project aimed at making it easier and cheaper to supply remote Australian communities and industrial sites with off-grid renewable energy generation.
As the video below shows (in time-lapse), the innovative modular technology – which was developed by Laing O’Rourke – was delivered, set up, unpacked and fully operational within seven days.
According to ARENA (the Australian Renewable Energy Agency), the off-site construction and rapid pack-up and pack-down give the technology the potential to lower costs and reduce risks associated with undertaking projects in regional and remote Australia.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the Combabula plant provided a clear demonstration of a versatile alternative to costly and heavy polluting diesel powered generators.
Each redeployable hybrid plant is expected to power multiple successive off-grid users, allowing them to benefit from the advantages of solar without committing to a permanent installation.
