Diesel generators will be phased out of dependence by a large PV solar and battery storage array to provide power for Lord Howe’s 350 residents.
Instead of consuming over 550,000 litres of diesel each year to power homes with diesel generators, the island’s residents have been provided a renewable energy funding project to install a 1.2 megaWatt solar array and battery storage over 3.2MWh.
The $4.5 million project – which received an additional $5.6 million in NSW treasury funding – will still use diesel generation as part of a hybrid system, but according to ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Association) it should drastically reduce the island’s dependency on oil and its vulnerability to price spikes.
Photon Energy Engineering Australia chief executive Peter Adams says the project will better its intended outcomes.
“The island will be able to reduce its reliance upon imported diesel fuel for generating electricity,” he says.
“We set a target to reduce our diesel use by two-thirds, and we believe we will not only meet that target, but potentially exceed it,” Adams says.
ARENA chief executive Darren Miller says the tourist hotspot will benefit with power generation that suits its image.
“Lord Howe Island faces a unique set of challenges in supplying and recovering the costs of providing essential services to its community and in protecting Lord Howe Island’s natural environment,” he explains.
“We are excited to see a renewable solution will be adopted that will significantly improve the sustainability of the power supply, improve energy security and reduce the impact of future fuel cost increases,” Miller adds.
