Creating Power and Drinking Water at Lower Costs

Published on by in Business

Creating Power and Drinking Water at Lower Costs

Hydro Tasmania’s world-leading renewable energy innovation will help reduce the amount of diesel fuel needed to generate power and produce clean drinking water 

The Rottnest Island Water and Renewable Energy Nexus Project (WREN) will deliver both electricity and drinking water for Rottnest Island at lower cost, and with lower emissions, through innovative use of renewable energy and smart controls.

“Like many remote or island locations, Rottnest Island is currently heavily reliant on expensive diesel fuel to supply its electricity needs,” said Simon Gamble, Hydro Tasmania’s Manager Hybrid Off-Grid Solutions.

“A novel aspect of this project is its focus on controlling the timing of an energy-intensive activity - running the island’s desalination plant - to make the best use of renewable energy when it is most abundant.

“Sophisticated smart controls will automate the desalination plant to operate at maximum capacity when wind and solar energy are most abundant, and store treated water for use at times of lower renewable energy availability. Running the plant on renewables rather than diesel will reduce the cost and emissions intensity of producing the island’s drinking water.”

Rottnest Island is a leading recreation and holiday destination 18 kilometres off the south-west Western Australian coast. It welcomes around half a million visitors each year, attracted to its beautiful scenery, beaches and bays, its biodiversity, and its emphasis on conservation and sustainability.

Until now, Rottnest Island’s current annual power consumption of 5 GWh has been provided by five conventional diesel engines, two low-load diesel engines and a single 600 kW wind turbine, installed in 2004.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide up to $4.8 million in funding towards the $7.3 million project.

“The high cost of shipped-in diesel presented a compelling case for island communities to make the switch to renewable energy,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht.

“Hydro Tasmania, with support from ARENA, has spent several years developing its off-grid energy solutions that combine renewable and enabling technologies with existing diesel generation to provide reliable power.

“Six hundred kilowatts of new solar photovoltaic (PV) will be integrated with the existing 600 kW wind turbine and diesel generators on Rottnest Island by adopting advanced control systems.

Source: Eco-Business

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

 

Media

Taxonomy