Kalbarri Microgrid Update

While the original target of 2019 has proven to be too optimistic, Western Power says a microgrid project in Western Australia’s Mid-West region will be operational next year.

Kalbarri is a coastal town with a population of around 1,560 situated approximately 590 kilometres north of Perth. It’s a “fringe-of-grid” area, supplied with mains electricity by a 150- kilometre feeder from Geraldton. Blackouts have been common in Kalbarri given the nature of the feeder and the environmental conditions in which it operates, with the town experiencing eleven extended power outages each year on average. It’s one of the worst performing feeders in Western Power’s network.

But electricity supply is about to change for Kalbarri – in 2020, the town will be powered by its own microgrid. A microgrid is a small-scale power grid with energy management systems enabling it to run independently or connected to the main electricity network.

The microgrid will feature a 5MW/4.5MWh battery system, with a minimum of 2MWh capacity reserved for reliability services. Additional electricity supply will come from a 1.6MW wind farm situated around 20 kilometres from the town and local residential rooftop solar. More than 232 small-scale solar energy systems had been installed in the Kalbarri postcode area (6536) as at the end of October, with a collective capacity of 1,160 kW (1.16MW).

The final design of the system was determined after a feasibility study by Western Power that ran more than 2,500 models simulating various energy scenarios.

Last week, the battery system left Perth headed for the its home at the wind farm site. The battery building is 25 metres long, five metres wide and weighs just under 60 tonnes – it took nearly a full day to load onto trucks.

Activities have been under way for some time to prepare the Kalbarri network for the microgrid installation; including works to enable the network and battery to become “islanded” (disconnected from the grid) and operate directly from renewable sources during a network outage.

“The beauty of this design is that it not only enhances supply reliability, it will have the flexibility to grow with the population of Kalbarri, which in turn supports local businesses,” said Western Power in an update last week.

Western Power expects construction of the microgrid, including underground connection of the battery, to be completed by early next year. The microgrid’s commissioning and operational trial will be completed later in 2020.