Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy has relied on diesel generation to provide electricity. Existing generation from the 3.9 MW diesel power station serves 13 GWh of annual customer demand, peaking at 3 MW.

The Coober Pedy Renewable Hybrid Project was undertaken by an external party with support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Hydro Tasmania designed and supplied key technologies. 

The power system is now capable of displacing 70% of the annual diesel fuel used in Coober Pedy to generate electricity. The system is capable of diesel off operation, allowing 100% renewable operation. 

Solution

Hydro Tasmania was engaged to install the enabling technology and integrate solar and wind generation into the existing power system. This innovative project involved a hybrid combination of 4 MW wind, 1 MW solar, 1.5 MW/500 kWh battery, two 850 kVA flywheels, a 3 MW dynamic resistor and Hydro Tasmania’s hybrid control system. The system displaces 70% of the annual diesel fuel used at Coober Pedy to generate electricity and operates with 100% renewable generation for approximately 50% of the time.

Our services

Hydro Tasmania’s involvement started in the preliminary investigation phases of the project and included a study of development options, including installation of wind monitoring and undertaking a wind resource assessment. Following this options study, Hydro Tasmania undertook preliminary system design, including wind and solar capacity optimisation, enabler selection, and assistance with business case preparation.

Hydro Tasmania then developed specifications for tenders for wind, solar and battery energy storage and assisted our client with technical assessment of tender responses. We supplied the flywheels, dynamic resistor, switchgear and have integrated all the enabling and generation technology via our hybrid control system.

In parallel to these tasks, Hydro Tasmania was responsible for installation and commissioning of wind, solar and battery energy storage, as well as tuning and commissioning of the final power system.

Outcome

Hydro Tasmania assisted our client to rapidly transform the remote township of Coober Pedy to a world leading renewable hybrid system.

Click here to download the Coober Pedy case study >