Renewable energy
What is renewable energy?
Renewable energy is any source of energy that can be used without depleting its reserves including solar energy and other sources such as, wind, wave, biomass and hydro energy. Biomass refers to plants grown to be used as biofuel. If the plant matter is produced in a sustainable manner then it may be eligible for assessment as a renewable energy resource.
Investing in renewable energy in the Territory
Power and Water is already one of Australia’s cleanest power generators due to its use of natural gas for electricity production. With the increasing cost for transport to and storage of distillate in remote locations, Power and Water is actively pursuing renewable energy projects to reduce the need for distillate in these locations. Power and Water commits to these initiatives by entering into extended Power Purchase Agreements, providing investors with the security required to develop renewable energy projects.
Solar photovoltaic panels
Solar photovoltaic panels convert solar energy into electricity. Over the last few years two remote communities, Bulman in Arnhem Land and Kings Canyon in the Red Centre, have been successfully using flat-plate solar photovoltaic technology to reduce the consumption of distillate. These panels are robust, transportable and easy to install. They add approximately 30% capacity to the power plant when it is needed and do this in an efficient way. This is because peak demand in the Northern Territory closely matches the availability of solar power over the course of a day. This means that a smaller diesel engine can be run more efficiently, as the solar power ‘lops’ the peak load without the need for costly storage batteries.
Once installed, solar panels reduce the dependence on distillate, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contain the cost of power generation.
The Bulman project was completed in November 2002 and generates 56kW peak electricity, saving approximately 70 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
The Kings Canyon project was completed in December 2003 and generates 241kW peak to support the electricity needs of this resort community. The project, worth $3.6 million, was at the time the largest single installation of its kind in Australia. The panels have an expected life of 25 years.
Solar dish concentrators
Three communities in Central Australia have been using solar dish concentrators since 2005 to displace the burning of distillate to generate electricity. A total of 30 dishes are deployed in Hermannsburg, Lajamanu and Yuendumu and combined, this technology is saving about 500,000 litres of distillate per annum. The project cost $6million and was both Federally and privately funded.
Solar dish concentrators are 14 metres wide with 130 square metres of curved mirrors, which concentrate the sun 500 times and generate 35kW peak of electricity each. It is a technology that is easily upgraded with the installation of more efficient cells at the focal point of the dishes. This ability to improve the efficiency of these solar dish concentrators throughout their life makes them a more viable solution for remote locations.
Wind turbines
Power and Water is in the process of collecting data to determine if a viable wind regime exists at communities in the Barkly.
Landfill gas
Methane gas is constantly being generated in landfill sites such as the Shoal Bay site in Darwin. A 1MW generator has been installed by LMS Pty Ltd and has been connected to the grid since August 2005. Currently the generator produces approximately 9,000MWh of renewable energy per annum and saves approximately 5,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide, enough to provide 900 average households with electricity for one year.
Methane gas is 20 times more harmful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. By capturing the gas and converting it to electricity the LMS generator is preventing methane from entering our environment.
Biodiesel
Power and Water facilitated a fully accredited trial of 60,000 litres of 100% vegetable-based biodiesel (B100) at Daly Waters Power Station in 2006. No modifications were made to the existing generator set, other than those for additional measuring equipment required by the regulator. One of the results of the trial was that the output from the generator was the same as when burning distillate. After the trial, when the machine was stripped down and thoroughly inspected by the original equipment manufacturer, no damage could be found.
Power and Water is keen to substitute biodiesel for regular diesel in remote locations. Power and Water will actively examine suitable and approved biodiesels to replace regular diesel. The feedstock of any biodiesel used by Power and Water will be from a sustainable source which does not impact on flora or fauna and is not a competitor with food crops.