The Flinders Island microgrid will reduce diesel emissions by 60%
Hydro Tasmania, Australia’s largest producer of renewable energy, is developing the “Flinders Island Hybrid Energy Hub” project designed to increase the island’s use of renewable energy and dramatically reduce fossil fuel usage, until now the only electrical energy source on the island.
Electro Power Systems S.A. (EPS), in partnership with Toshiba, were commissioned for a hybrid storage system as part of Flinders Island’s microgrid for Hydro Tasmania. The system, which combines renewables and energy storage, is intended to provide up to 65% of the island’s annual energy demand, significantly reducing CO2 emissions and eliminating more than 60% of diesel fuel consumption.
Flinders Island microgrid to provide 900 people with stable renewable energy
The microgrid’s installed capacity of 3MW is designed to provide stable renewable energy to approximately 900 people on the island, which is exposed to severe weather conditions. The microgrid will be hybridized with 0.5 MWp of solar and 0.5 MWh of storage system combined with 2.0 MVA of generators. The project will look at possible integration with wind energy.
With cooperation secured from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Tasmanian Government, the project is based on the successful King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project (KIREIP), which covers 100% of King Island’s power needs from renewable sources. The world is discovering the perfect match between off-grid islands and microgrids. Recent island microgrid projects include the island of Ta’u in American Samoa, Azorian Island in Portugal, Alcatraz Island, California, Kangaroo Island and Perth, in Australia, Ocracoke, North Carolina, just to name a few.