As the Australian energy sector responds to the federal government’s tenfold expansion of the small-scale renewable energy scheme from 100 kW to 1 MW, a South Australian – and the world’s largest – cattle station has already deployed rooftop solar to tackle energy reliability and diesel fuel costs.
Spanning an area of approximately 23,800 kilometres squared, the equivalent of roughly 3 million rugby fields, the Williams Cattle Company (WCC)-owned Anna Creek Station pastoral operation sought to reduce its diesel generator fuel costs and energy reliability issues by installing a solar and battery energy storage system (BESS).
South Australian remote and off-grid system specialist MyEnergy Engineering was hired to complete the system, which supplies the main station and homestead loads, including air conditioning, refrigeration, kitchen equipment, communications and general station infrastructure.
It was one of seven remote area power systems MyEnergy delivered for WCC across Far North South Australia, with the overall program valued at more than AUD 1.5 million ($1 milion).
MyEnergy Engineering Managing Director Ciaram Granger said the biggest challenge was delivering a system of this size in an extremely remote and demanding environment.
“Everything had to be carefully planned because additional materials, equipment or support could not simply be collected nearby,” Granger said, inferring the 1,800 kilometre round-trip back to Adelaide if key components were not brought to site.
“The system needed to combine solar, battery storage, generator backup and remote monitoring as one complete power supply. It also had to cope with high temperatures, dust and the changing loads of an operating cattle station.”
The remote power system incorporates 49 kW of Hanwha Q Cells solar, Pylontech US3000 lithium batteries, Victron Quattro inverter/chargers, Victron SmartSolar 450/200 charge controllers, Fronius Symo AC-coupled solar inverters and Victron Cerbo GX monitoring and control.
The system acts as the primary power source, and uses the existing generation integration as backup during poor weather or periods of unusually high demand.
The Victron VRM allows the system to be remotely monitored to minimise unnecessary site visits, given the distance involved.
SRES threshold change
Though the Anna Creek project has been completed prior to the federal government’s announcement to expand the small-scale renewable energy scheme (SRES), Granger told pv magazine it should have a positive impact on the business by making larger commercial solar systems more financially attractive.
“For commercial customers, the increased rebate should reduce upfront costs and shorten payback periods. It may also encourage businesses to use more available roof space and size systems around future energy requirements rather than just their current consumption,” Granger said.
“We expect this will lead to larger commercial rooftop solar installations, more projects proceeding sooner and increased demand from agriculture, manufacturing and other high-energy users.”
Granger added he expects outcomes to include higher overall installation volumes across the industry and more businesses planning for future growth and increased electrical loads.
“One potential downside, however, is that the increased system sizes and installation volumes will create a larger supply of STCs,” Granger said.
“If demand does not increase at the same rate, this could drive the STC price down and reduce the actual rebate value available to customers.”
Greater price competition and pressure to install oversized systems without properly considering load profiles, export limits and network requirements may also be a consequence.
“Larger systems still need to be designed around how the site uses power to deliver the expected return, but overall we see it as a positive opportunity for MyEnergy and the commercial solar industry, although the actual benefit will depend heavily on how the increased STC supply affects certificate pricing.”
The federal government has said expanding the SRES to include solar installations up to 1 MW in size will lower the upfront installation costs for commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings by around 20%.
“Based on a mid-scale solar system installation the estimated discount is about AUD 68,000 off a 250 kW system – enough to support a reasonably large commercial operation or AUD 136,000 off a 500 kW system, which could power a small manufacturing site,” a government statement said.
“A 250 kW solar installation on a medium sized enterprise, like a retailer, could produce around 345 MWhs of electricity a year, saving around AUD 50,000 of electricity costs each year.”
“A large 850 kW solar installation, which would be more suited to an industrial energy user, could produce around 1,173 MWhs of electricity a year, saving around AUD 175,000 of electricity costs each year. ”
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