Renewable Energy Integration in

Ergon Energy’s Isolated Systems

Chris Smith – Ergon Energy

IPS Connect 2015

Content

2

• About Ergon

• Renewable Energy Assets

• Renewable Energy Direction

• Case Study – Windorah

• Case Study – Doomadgee

• Lessons Learnt

• State Government-owned

corporation with 4500 employees

and an $11 billion asset base.

• Maintains and manages the

regional Queensland electricity

network that supplies electricity to

720,000-plus customers across

97% of the state.

• Electricity retailer to homes and

businesses in regional

Queensland.

• Our purpose – 'to provide safe,

reliable, efficient and sustainable

energy solutions to support our

customers and the Queensland

economy'.

3

About Ergon Energy

Ergon Energy Isolated Systems

4

• Vertically integrated

• 33 diesel-fired power stations

• Approx. 20,000 residents

total across 39 communities

• Only 7,000 customers (<1%

of all Ergon customers)

• Mostly diesel generation ~28

million litres/year

• Peak demand ranges across

communities 68kW to 4.2MW

• Different climatic conditions

and renewable resource

availability at different sites

Renewable Generation

Coconut Island

Thursday

Island Wind

2 x 225kW

Vestas Wind

Turbines

Windorah Solar

Farm

130kW

Concentrated Solar

Doomadgee Solar

Farm

264kW Fixed Flat

Plate Solar

Birdsville

Geothermal

80kW Low

Temperature,

Wet

Geothermal

Plant

Various

Locations

1,240kW

Roof top PV

Renewable Energy Direction

6

Renewable Generation

Future Diesel Pricing

Environment

Risk Appetite Government

Policy

Capital

Funding

Customer Choice & Control

High Penetration

Supporting Customer

PV

Low Penetration

Windorah Community

7

Community Profile

• Pastoral Community

• Population 158

• Maximum Demand 307 kW

• Energy Requirements 1,090 MWh

Windorah Solar Farm

8

• Concentrated solar PV 125kW

• Instantaneous Penetration 80%

• Of yearly diesel displaced

• 450 MWh 16%

• Control System modification

• Lead acid short term storage

• Low load diesel

Integration

Windorah Solar Farm - Layout

9

Windorah Solar Farm – System Configuration

10

0

50

100

150

200

250

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

kW G

en

era

ted

Time (hours)

Solar Farm kW

Genset 1 kW

Total station load

Windorah Solar Farm – Performance

11

Summer Day - December

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

kW

Gen

era

ted

Time (hours)

Solar Farm kW (15m)

Genset 1 kW (15m)

Minimum load - 25kW

Station kW Exported (30m)

Windorah Solar Farm - Performance

12

Winter Day - June

87kW 87kW

68% Solar

Penetration

68% Solar

Penetration

59kW 59kW

• Excess solar available

• Engine technology

Why?

• Low load 10% @ 250kW (8.7% @ 288kW)

What?

• 12 month trial

• Control system modification

• Extensive inspection program

How?

• 1.5% reduction in efficiency of LLD diesel

• 8% increase in overall station efficiency

• Average load factor 40%

• No detrimental affect on engine

Results

Windorah Solar Farm – Low Load Diesel

13

Doomadgee Community

14

Community Profile

• Predominantly indigenous population

• Population 1,258

• Maximum Demand 1,255kW

• Energy Requirements 5,694MWh

Solar

Diesel

Doomadgee Solar Farm

15

• Flat Plate Solar PV 264kW

• Instantaneous Penetration 50%

• Of yearly diesel displaced

• 450 MWh 10%

• Control system modification only Integration

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Layout

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Doomadgee Solar Farm – System Configuration

17

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Performance

18

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

kW G

en

era

ted

Time (hours)

Genset 1 kW

Genset 4 kW

Solar Farm kW

Station load kW

Summer Day - March

220 kW 220 kW

1,000 kW 1,000 kW

22% Solar

Penetration

22% Solar

Penetration

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Performance

19

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

kW G

en

era

ted

Time (hours)

Solar Farm kW

Genset 2 kW

Total station load kW

Winter Day - June

210 kW 210 kW

550 kW 550 kW

40% Solar

Penetration

40% Solar

Penetration

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Performance

20

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

kW G

en

era

ted

Time (hours)

Solar Farm kW

Genset 1 kW

Genset 2 kW

Total Station Load

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Performance

21

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

kW G

en

era

ted

Time (hours)

Solar Farm kW

Genset 1 kW

Total station load

160kW

reduction

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Performance

22

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

kW G

en

era

ted

Time (minutes and seconds)

Solar Farm kW

Genset 1 kW

49.5

49.6

49.7

49.8

49.9

50

50.1

50.2

50.3

50.4

50.5

50.6

50.7

50.8

50.9

51

51.1

51.2

51.3

51.4

51.5

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Fre

qu

en

cy (

Hz)

Po

wer

Gen

era

ted

(kW

)

Time (minutes and seconds)

Solar Farm kW

Genset 1 kW

Genset 3 kW

Station Frequency

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Performance

23

49.5

49.6

49.7

49.8

49.9

50

50.1

50.2

50.3

50.4

50.5

50.6

50.7

50.8

50.9

51

51.1

51.2

51.3

51.4

51.5

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Fre

qu

en

cy (

Hz)

kW

Gen

era

ted

Time (minutes and seconds)

Solar Farm kW

Genset 1 kW

Genset 3 kW

Station Frequency

Doomadgee Solar Farm - Performance

24

Lessons Learnt

25

• System configuration

• Data availability and resolution

• Technology risk

Technical

• Low load capability of diesel

• Intermittency of solar

• Responsiveness of diesel

Performance

• High capex costs in remote locations

• Funding support needed

Financial

• Alignment with government policy

Policy

Stephens Island

Summary

• Ergon Energy and our Assets

• Case Studies

• Projects driving future developments

27

Questions?

More information

28

Contact me: Chris Smith; Manager Engineering

Email: chris.smith@ergon.com.au

Phone: +617 4052 4150

LinkedIn

Ergon Energy: ergon.com.au

Facebook: facebook.com/ErgonEnergy

Twitter: twitter.com/ergonenergy

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ergon-energy

YouTube: youtube.com/user/ErgonEnergyQld