Simon Gamble

Manager Hybrid Energy Solutions

4th Annual Remote Area Power Supply Conference

Approaches to renewable energy integration : Insights from Flinders and Rottnest Island hybrid systems

• Government Business – owned by State of Tasmania

• Australia’s largest clean energy producer – 10TWh pa

• Responsible for generation, distribution and retail in the Bass Strait islands

• Developer, owner and operator of leading hybrid off-grid systems on King & Flinders Islands (our test beds) and for our clients at Rottnest Island, Coober Pedy.

• Leading advisor and hybrid system turnkey contractor

Hydro Tasmania Hybrid off-grid power systems capability

Hybrid off-grid power systems Next phase of market development

Aspects still being learned:

• Cost and time effective deployment -> scale

• Risk mitigation strategies -> financing

o Asset specification & legacy interactions

o System performance -> revenues

• Role of other energy services (e.g water) in increasing RE utilisation -> value

Concepts now (reasonably) well understood:

• Renewables offer cost and performance benefits

o Extent of economic utilisation dependent on specific site

• Renewables need to be well managed

o Planning, integration (enabling) –> hybrids

Hybrid off-grid power systems:

• Multiple elements

• Highly integrated

• Fully automated

• Lower operating cost

• Safe, reliable, secure

King Island: • 65% annual RE

• $2m diesel saving pa

• 100% RE operation

Battery and dynamic resistor controlling frequency

Flywheel providing inertia, fault current

20hrs of 100% renewable operation within a day

Record stands at 63hrs continuous

King Island hybrid system example Multiple enablers supporting renewables in an integrated system (frequency control, reserves, fault current, voltage regulation, inertia etc)

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Flinders Island Hybrid Energy Hub Project – Objectives and Scope

Generation Enablers RE % Arrangement

2.95 MW Diesel

0.3 MW Wind (privately owned)

None 25%

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Additional wind 60+%

RE third party owned and constrained

New Solar

Resistor

Flywheel

Energy Storage

Project underpins Flinders Island community vision for 100% RE Future

+ + (Biodiesel) (Mini Hydro) (Ocean)

Control

• 900 kW wind

• 200 kW solar

• 1.5MW dynamic resistor

• 850kVA DUPS flywheel

• 750kW /300kWh battery

$12.88m budget including up to $5.5m support from ARENA

Addressing time, cost and quality barriers Modular, scalable, flexible hybrid solutions

King Island: On site construction was time consuming, disruptive and difficult to resource, quality control harder to achieve on site

Flinders Island Hybrid Energy Hub: Utilises containerised enabling systems requiring minimal site works for deployment Pre-factory tested Full suite of systems (inc. control, switchgear)

Factory testing of enabling “hub” Resolve issues prior to deployment

Enabling systems:

• Control

• Communications

• Battery

• Dynamic load banks

• Flywheels

• Switchgear

• Transformers

System conditions & contingencies emulated via dynamic load bank

Technicians on site for rectifications

Factory Acceptance Testing Battery module (Lithium titanate : 750kW/270kWh)

• Comprehensive factory testing of complete system is good risk mitigation

• Fix it the factory versus “what can you live with” once on site

Other mitigations:

• Good contract and specification are invaluable (watch caveats, such as low and high SOC performance)

• Purchaser must become expert in the system (currently)

• Can’t assume simple performance limits. Overall system performance (and your revenue) is heavily reliant on design detail.

Flinders Island “Hybrid Energy Hub” Rapid system deployment

Site works now underway – road and foundation View from new WTG location of existing 300kW WTG

TIME LAPSE MOVIE OF CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

Flinders Island Hub Enercon E44 900kW wind turbine Lowest cost renewable energy available

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Flinders Island Hub 200kW fix tilt Solar PV Offered diversity of renewable generation

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Rottnest Island Water and Renewable Energy Nexus

Objective: Supplying cleaner, lower cost energy and water services

Challenges:

• Rottnest Island : 70% diesel; constrained wind; water supply significant load

• Required to be self sufficient in energy and water supply

• Significant environmental (class A Reserve) and aboriginal cultural heritage

Solution:

• Integrate new solar PV with existing diesel & wind generation and water supply

o Sophisticated control & demand management

o Use desalinated water as a lower cost form of storage

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Rottnest Island WREN Planning phase: Energy Review & Roadmap

• Asset condition

• System performance

• Energy Use

• Energy efficiency & renewable energy opportunities

• Solar – abundant resource

• Wind – favorable resource

Rottnest Island Power system overview

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• 2.1MW diesel system

o 7x 300kW units

o 2 low load diesels

• 600kW wind turbine (30%)

• 1 ML of diesel / $1.5m p.a.

• Water supply and treatment a significant load (12.5% p.a. in 2012)

Rottnest WREN scope Enabling technology – station control upgrade

• Existing control system approaching end of life

• Supplied Hydro Tasmania’s proprietary hybrid control system

o industry standard PLC based modular system

o Coordinates activity of diesel, renewable and enabling systems

o Flexible and capable – underpins expansion in future

• Included upgrade to diesel unit controllers and feeder management system

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Rottnest WREN scope 600kW fixed tilt solar array

• Additional renewable energy

• Production aligns with system load, adds resource diversification

• Underground HV connection to existing substation

• Fibre link to power station for control

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Location

• Inside settlement area envelope but away from tourism infrastructure

• On the site of an operating airfield

• Sandy site, exposed to saline conditions

• Increased renewable penetration required faster acting curtailment

• Fibre based communications installed, including additional sub second metering

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Rottnest WREN scope Enabling technology – wind turbine control upgrade

Rottnest WREN scope Enabling technology – 500kW Dynamic resistor

• Manages variability in renewable generation

• Improves system security

o Provides reserves

o Protects diesel reverse power trips

• Increases diesel savings

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Rottnest WREN scope Demand management - desalination control

• Water on Rottnest Island is desalinated – largest single load (145kW)

• Timing of desalination isn’t always critical as tanks feed customer demand: Interruptible and deferrable

• Desalinate at time of high or surplus renewable energy – avoiding diesel gen.

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• Water storage acts as a form of energy storage

• Uses tanks as a “battery”

• Existing infrastructure / reduced losses

• Demand management will be fully automated and integrated into wider hybrid power system control

• Diesel savings result from “leveraging” the nexus between water production and energy use

• enabling systems make it possible to increase the value of renewables

Rottnest WREN scope Demand management - desalination control

Operators – key to realising savings Real time remote operator tools

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• Hybrids are sophisticated systems – need to be understood / not feared

o Operators have an important role in design

o Training – comprehensive, not an afterthought

• Vital to provide operators and system managers with real time information

o combined with data historian, management reporting

o Access via web portal and phone app.

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Rottnest WREN Early performance during testing

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Rottnest WREN Early performance during testing

Customers & Visitor involvement Smart phone App and online dashboard (Under development – mock up only)

• Expand the visitor experience with information about renewable energy

• Promote behaviour change to enhance savings

o Load shifting

o Load deferrable

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King Island app & web site real time data www.kireip.com.au

Further information:

Hybrid Energy Solutions

simon.gamble@hydro.com.au

Thank you

www.hybridenergysolutions.com.au