Photon Energy hands over 1.3-MWp solar-storage system to Lord Howe Island

• The governing authority of Australia's Lord Howe Island has been handed over a solar-plus-storage crossbreed power system, an AUD-11.1-million (USD 8.1 m/EUR 6.9 m) project aimed at aiding the tiny island community lower diesel intake.

The installment, and the information of its hand-over, was delivered by Amsterdam-based programmer Photon Power NV (WSE: PEN). Photon's Australia-based engineering, procurement and building (EPC) device was employed to design as well as build the solar portion of the project.

The crossbreed set-up includes a 1.328-MWp ground-mounted solar PV ranch linked to a 3.712-MWh Tesla Powerpack managed by a Tesla Microgrid Controller.

The whole system is integrated with the island's micro-grid and also diesel generators, formerly the main source of power for the area.

Photon stated the crossbreed has actually been providing power for over 6 months. The islanders appreciated stretches of approximately five consecutive days and nights in August without needing additional diesel-generated power, the business claimed.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed island is home to a populace of some 350 locals, according to regional magazine Lord Howe Island Australia.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) contributed AUD 4.5 million towards the project. The Lord Howe Island Board, which manages the island as well as its events, got a AUD-4.5-million loan from the New South Wales Government, and also covered the remaining expenses of the project from very own resources.