The Solar Energy Transformation Project (SETuP) will deliver 9 MW of solar across about 30 remote communities in the Northern Territory. These medium penetration hybrid power stations are designed to displace a minimum of 15% of diesel. So it’s OK to build them but how do you ensure they are still operating at optimum performance at year 20? This presentation will focus on the demonstrated lessons learnt from the firsts sites constructed, commissioned and handed over. Andrew works for the Power and Water Corporation as a Senior Project Manager on the Northern Territory Solar Energy Transformation Project (SETuP). He has worked in renewable energy space for many years including utilising flywheels, wind turbines, hybrid solar diesel and wave energy. Initiatives include: •Antarctic programmes in Ross Island Antarctica to integrate three 330KW Enecon Wind Turbines. •The Nullagine and Marble Bar Solar Diesel Power Stations utilise short term energy storage provided by flywheels, to provide enough energy storage if the stations were affected by a cloud event •The Endesa and Red Electrica projects located in the Canary Islands providing short term energy storage from flywheels. The flywheel technologies were tested against lithium ion battery storage and super capacitors installations. • The Perth Wave Energy project was a world first to build a large scale pilot plant to provide grid quality power from waves; the system used large buoys tethered just below the ocean surface to capture the wave energy using hydraulic accumulators.

1. Andrew Gray
Andrew.gray@powerwater.com.au

2. SETuP is jointly funded:
Australian Renewable
Energy Agency
(ARENA)
Northern Territory
Government (NTG)
$55 million for
remote communities
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions

3. 10 MW of solar across 30 remote
communities in the Northern
Territory
Medium penetration hybrid power
stations are designed to displace a
minimum of 15% of diesel

4. Understanding community expectations begins with
community engagement
Community support of the project is essential
for long term operation
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions

5. Dedicated community engagement Manager
Two teams of community engagement consultants
operating in the Northern and Southern region
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions

6. Barge transport is all seasons
Road transport is dependent on river height
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions

7. Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Transit damage

8. Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Land Clearing

9. Erosion and Sedimentation
Management Plans
Sedimentation Fence
Mulch Berm

10. • three systems trialled at an existing NT solar site
Pixel Science – low resolution & low frequency images
Fulcrum 3D – individual cloud tracking
Reuniwatt – hemispherical mirror entire cloud cover image
• earth leakage problems with the legacy equipment have
invalidated the data from the six months trial
• cloud forecasters will now be trialled at Maningrida
• as part of SETuP Knowledge sharing commitments the
results will be made publically available
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Cloud forecaster trials

11. Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Factory acceptance testing: Darwin

12. YINGLI SOLAR YL315P-35B
SMA SUNNY TRIPOWER 25TL-JP-30
SMA CLUSTER CONTROLLER
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions Clenergy racking system
FAT Control room
Factory acceptance testing: Darwin

13. PowerStation control
system PLC to cluster
controller
via
Single mode optical fibre
or
full duplex radio telemetry
< 1 second to Spill PV
Factory acceptance testing: Darwin
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions

14. Naming conventions are as for ASIM:
Pv = Photo Voltaic, Gen = Generator, Load = Load
P = power, Q = reactive power, I = current
Power P (kW), what is being used/generated now
Instantaneous Penetration is the % of renewable power (kW) at this time
Average Penetration is the % of renewable energy (kWh) over a period
So a system with a Peak Instantaneous Penetration of 60% may result in
in Average Penetration of 15%
PV101 naming conventions

15. Active control of generation and PV in order to maintain:
(1) PvP <= SpinP
So if all the PV disappears before a diesel is brought on line no load
shedding or blackouts will occur
We also need to maintain diesel loading above a threshold:
(2) GenP >= GenMinP
In order to avoid damage to diesel generation
So control: GenMaxP and PvSetP
in order to meet (1 ) and(2)
PV101 - equations

16. Keep enough spinning reserve online:
GenMaxP >= GenP + max(PvP,GenSpinPPa)
So loss of 100% of the Pv will be covered by the diesel
We must limit PV output in order to the diesels loaded:
PvSetP = LoadP - GenMinP
The system must keep a diesel online all the time, the PV cannot create
the grid (vars, ...)
Finally: if minimum diesel loading is 40% the maximum penetration is
60% if the loads match the generators
PV101 - example

17. Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Road Shows – PV101
Initial Training
Involvement of the Essential
Services Officers
Maintenance of the grounds
Ongoing training
Point of common coupling

18. Point of Common Coupling
Solar power connection
Diesel PowerStation isolation point
Future Metering cubicle

19. SETuP key outcome:
Integration of PV into existing power stations at
remote locations without compromising power
quality and reliability of supply
Early testing confirms the software upgrade
reliability
Control systems software is deployed at several
remote setup sites the software is proven with
no affects on supply reliability recorded
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Business Transformation

20. PWC SCADA
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Business Transformation

21. Build the institutional capacity and incentives of
PWC to operate, maintain and expand
renewable energy solutions as a mainstream
business practice
Generate and share knowledge that will assist
other remote community energy providers to
deploy renewable energy solutions
Introduction
Public Engagement
Remote Logistics
Design & Construct
Commissioning
Handover
Operations
Questions
Business Transformation

22. Questions?