The Australian government said it will provide AUD$5 million (US$3.9 million) to support Hydro Tasmania’s plans to develop an off-grid hybrid project on Flinders Island.
The project, which will cost AUD 12.9 million, would use a combination of solar, wind, diesel, storage and enabling technologies, together with a control system, to displace more than 60% of the island’s diesel generated energy. The financial assistance will come from the government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
The project will be completed in late 2016. The project follows the success of the King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project, which has seen King Island’s energy needs supplied solely from renewables when conditions allow, a world-leading breakthrough. KIREIP uses a range of renewable and conventional technologies to reduce diesel consumption for power generation on the island. The hybrid power system is comprised of wind, solar, battery storage, flywheels, dynamic resistor technology, dynamic load control and the use of biofuels.
Hydro Tasmania has worked with Tasmanian manufacturers to develop a series of modular units to house and ship the enabling technologies essential to the energy solution. This innovation will be developed and tested for the first time through the Flinders Island project. These modular enabling units will provide a lower-cost and scalable solution that will allow easy and rapid transport and installation for renewable energy projects, and which could also serve temporary uses such as in disaster relief or in the mining industry.
Fabrication and testing of equipment takes place off-site, ensuring a speedy roll-out at the final location, reducing the risk, cost and duration of construction.
