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58RENEWABLE ENERGY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIAOFFICE OF ENERGYRENEWABLE ENERGY HANDBOOK 2010A 2.3.5 PHOTOVOLTAIC INDUSTRYWithin Western Australia, photovoltaics are usedin grid-connected and stand-alone power systems,remote telecommunications infrastructure andwater-pumping systems. There are approximately18,000 PVs installed within Western Australia.PV modules are also utilised in many nicheapplications, including emergency telephones,street and other outdoor lighting, and marinenavigation buoys, and are increasingly competitivewhere cabling costs are high compared to thepower demand.Verve Energy owns Australia’s fi rst grid-connectedPV system at Kalbarri. The site was chosen becauseof its location at the end of a long distribution linewith a growing summer peak and high solarradiation levels. The $500,000 project producesenough power for some local homes, whilst alsoreducing fl uctuations in grid electricity voltage.The 256 PV panels are mounted on 16 locallyproduced trackers and connected to the grid viaa locally produced power conditioning system.Verve Energy has also installed a 20 kW photovoltaictrough concentrator system at Murdoch University’sRockingham campus. Using only a relatively smallnumber of photovoltaic cells, the system uses40 pairs of parabolic mirrors, mounted on a trackingsystem, to concentrate solar energy on the PV cells.Under sunlight concentrated 30 times, individual celleffi ciency of 22 per cent is achievable.The largest off-grid PV system began operation inAugust 2006 near Laverton. The Western AustralianDepartment of Corrective Services has installed the32 kW systems at its Mount Morgan work camp.The system will reduce the camp’s reliance ondiesel-generated power saving about 30,000 litresof diesel and reducing greenhouse gas emissionsby 89 tonnes each year.Another large system in Western Australia is the 31 kWphotovoltaic system installed by Hamersley Iron PtyLtd at Hamersley Station in 2005. The hybrid solar/diesel system consists of 260 solar panels, a 40 kVAinverter, 552 kW.h battery bank and 53kVA dieselgenerator. The solar array contributes an estimated130 kW.h per day to help meet the station’s power needs.Examples of existing solar PV projects inWestern Australia are shown in Table 8.TABLE 8. EXAMPLES OF EXISTING SOLAR PV PROJECTSIN WESTERN AUSTRALIAPROJECTPROPONENTCAPITAL(MW)Hamersley Hamersley Iron 0.03 2004Rockingham Verve Energy 0.02 2000A 2.3.6 SOLAR THERMAL INDUSTRYSolar thermal has fewer applications than solar PV,with a limited number of solar thermal power systemsin Australia. Solar thermal electricity has not yetreached commercialisation and small systems thatmay suit households are far more expensive thanits PV counterpart.The largest solar thermal power site is a demonstrationplant of around 1.5 MW at the Liddell Power station,which uses Ausra’s Compact Linear Fresnel Refl ector(CLFR) solar thermal technology. The CSIRO is alsoconstructing a 0.5 MW solar thermal power stationin Mayfi eld.A 2.3.7 GEOTHERMALIn January 2008, the Western Australian StateGovernment released the fi rst acreage for geothermalexploration covering the Perth Basin. The secondrelease of geothermal acreage, for the Perth andCarnarvon basins, took place in 2009.The fi rst study to evaluate the potential geothermalenergy resources in Western Australia was in 1980,which recognised the economic potential of the lowtemperature reservoirs at depths of 2-3.5km withinthe Perth Basin.The next study, in 2006, evaluated hot rock resources.From this study it was discovered that petroleum wellsin parts of the Canning, Carnarvon, and Perth basinsindicated two favourable factors for developinghorizontal geothermal reservoirs. The Carnarvon Basinhas the greatest number of wells with high temperaturegradients, followed by the Perth and Canning basins.START DATEKalbarri Verve Energy 0.02 1995
The WA Geothermal Centre of Excellence is focusingon direct heat use (e.g. geothermally powered airconditioning and desalination) in populated centreswhere there is shallow groundwater of moderatetemperature (discussed in more detail inGeothermal Case Study).Also in Western Australia, direct heat applicationsof geothermal are utilised to heat many municipalswimming pools, including Challenge Stadium,Christchurch Grammar School, Claremont Pool,Craigie Leisure Centre, and a number of spa resorts.Fish are also farmed through geothermal-drivenaquaculture facilities.A 2.3.8 WAVE ENERGYInterest is also being generated in Western Australiafor the development of wave energy technology.Carnegie Wave Energy Limited is developing a 5 MWpilot plant off Garden Island. Carnegie is discussedin more detail in a case study.OFFICE OF ENERGYRENEWABLE ENERGY HANDBOOK 2010A 2.3.9 HYDRO ENERGYWestern Australia’s only commercial hydro-electricgenerator is the 30 MW power station at the Ord RiverDam on Lake Argyle, completed in April 1996.The project also involved the construction of 132kVtransmission lines, which provide power to Kununurra,Wyndham and the Argyle Diamond Mine.The Wellington Dam is situated near Collie in thesouth-west of WA. The hydro-electric power stationwas built in the 1950s and was recently put undercare and maintenance. It has an installed generatingcapacity of 2 MW using water from the dam.Verve Energy is in the process of donating the plantto the National Trust of WA.Energy companies are showing interest in promotingsmaller-scale hydro-energy schemes, particularly asproviding an economic alternative to conventionalenergy sources in areas remote from the electricitygrid. Hydro power schemes can begin generatingenergy very quickly and only need a small staff tooperate and maintain them.59RENEWABLE ENERGY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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