Western Australia is a large state. The cost of maintaining and installing hybrid power systems is much higher than maintaining poles and wires and the power companies have to come to terms with that. It makes it much easier to make a decision when all of the poles are burned.

There is a group of people east of the town of Esperance who will have their own solar and battery-powered systems. In response to the destruction caused by the fires of November 2015, the company began offering a stand-alone solar and battery power system to certain remote regional customers.

Only four land owners took up the offer at that time. More than 1000 systems are expected to be delivered to farmers and remote indigenous communities. The Western Australian government has granted $46 million to Horizon Power to build 150 systems throughout the state. Each system includes a backup diesel generator and solar panels. The connection to the service hub means that any fault can be diagnosed from anywhere in the world. If needed, service teams can be dispatched.

By March 2022, 45 standalone power systems are set to be deployed in Esperance to large commercial farms at the edges of HP’s overhead network. This will lead to the removal of 120 km worth of poles and wires from private paddocks. Farmers will no longer have to maneuver their huge tractors and other equipment around electrical infrastructure. Crop dusters will also appreciate the removal of flight obstacles.

Many power-related projects have been led by the Renew the Regions Program and will benefit the locals over the long term. In the remote confines of the Kimberleys, Derby was able to pay $5. The local pool has a 40-watt solar shade and 2 million solar and battery storage projects installed. The town of Marble Bar in Australia’s hottest state has a solar farm that is capable of generating more than a thousand feet of sun every year. More than 1,400 kilowatts of new rooftop photovoltaic hosting capacity would be freed up by the arrival of two batteries in the city next month.

In remote areas, locals benefit from the transition from centralized power to decentralized power. This is a good silver lining from the Western Australia fires of 2015. Is there a reason why people appreciate cleantech news coverage from CleanTechnica? Become a member, supporter, technician, or ambassador of CleanTechnica, or as a patron on a platform of your choice.

Source: CleanTechnica

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