Remote Area Hybrid Solar-Diesel Power Systems in Tropical Australia

As of 2012 1.3 billion people, or 18.41% of the world's population, were without electricity. Many of these people live in remote areas where decentralized generation is the only method of electrification. Diesel generators power most mini-grids, but new hybrid power systems, incorporating renewable energy sources, are becoming a reliable method of reducing total system cost and diesel usage. This paper reviews the Ti Tree, Kalkarindji and Lake Nash (TKLN) hybrid solar-diesel power stations (1MW) with the proprietary Grid Stability System ("GSS") supplying electricity to three remote communities in central Australia. The GSS is an innovative feature of this Epuron designed project. The GSS maximises solar energy input to the grid without interfering with the existing diesel generator control systems, thereby maximising fuel savings. Data from the installed system were used to validate the GSS capabilities and performance. This study bridges the gap between design optimization studies that frequently lack subsequent validation and experimental hybrid system performance studies. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.