(Denham/Australia) – Horizon Power will build a microgrid in the Australian state of Western Australia to supply remote areas with renewable hydrogen. The location is Denham, Shark Bay, on the far west coast of the continent. The state-owned electric utility wants to test the technical performance of hydrogen as a variable energy source in remote energy systems to improve the technology's competitiveness.
Electrolyzer is powered by solar power
In this demonstration project, solar-generated hydrogen is stored and used to generate electricity. The capacity is 526 megawatt hours, which, according to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), is enough to power 100 homes. The system consists of a 348 kilowatt electrolyser and a 100 kilowatt fuel cell. The electricity is supplied by a 704 kilowatt solar system.
If the test operation is successful, the system will be expanded and can serve as a blueprint “for supplying remote areas in other regions, such as Queensland and the Northern Territory,” says ARENA.
Good access to renewable energy
Denham was selected by Horizon Power for its proximity to wind and solar resources, land availability and access to water. In addition, an outdated diesel power plant needs to be replaced here. Construction is expected to begin in August 2021 and commissioning is scheduled for December.
ARENA has promised the company financial support of 2,6 million Australian dollars (1,6 million euros). The Horizon Power project will also receive $5,7 million from the Western Australian Government's economic stimulus package, including $XNUMX million from the Western Australian Renewable Hydrogen Fund.
Test for supplying off-grid areas
ARENA Managing Director Darren Miller emphasizes that this Horizon Power project is a good test for assessing the potential of renewable hydrogen to displace diesel for energy production in remote communities across Australia. According to Horizon Power managing director Stephanie Unwin, the plant will demonstrate “how hydrogen can reliably generate electricity for our cities that are currently dependent on diesel systems”. The aim is “not to use any new diesel generators from 2025 onwards”.
In November, another decentralized Horizon Power project was awarded the Australian Institute of Project Management Achievement Award 2020 in the regional projects category. “Onslow Distributed Energy Resource” (DER) includes a new gas power plant with an installed capacity of eight megawatts as well as a one megawatt solar system plus battery storage (1 MW / 1 MWh). The 850-strong community of Onslow is eight hours' drive north of Denham. Here too, diesel is to be replaced, in this case by a gas/solar hybrid power plant.
deep link
https://arena.gov.au/news/powering-regional-and-remote-australia-with-renewable-hydrogen/
https://www.horizonpower.com.au/our-community/news-events/news/onslow-der-project-wins-prestigious-state-industry-award/
Photo above
Decentralized hybrid power plant Onslow Distributed Energy Resource / © Horizon Power
Photo middle
Project sketch of a decentralized system like in Denham / © Horizon Power
