An energy production and trading scheme designed for the Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide will incorporate one of Australia’s largest rooftop solar arrays to provide energy to businesses and homes within the growing precinct.
Enwave Australia CEO Cameron Evans said Enwave Energy would invest about $40 million over a 50-year period for photovoltaics, battery storage, smart technologies and future electrical assets.
“We take a long-term view of these projects, which enable us to build our return over a long time,” he said.
The District Energy Scheme will use energy generated by about 20,000 solar PV panels installed on the expansive eight-hectare roof of the former Mitsubishi factory building and adjoining TAFE SA building.
“We’ll have an existing connection with the grid as well as having some onsite generation, primarily utilising solar PV and that enables us to draw on either the grid or our own energy generated on site depending upon the time of day, the amount of energy available,” Evans said.
“The benefits of that approach means that we increase reliability to the site by having on-site generation while also ensuring we can provide a competitive energy cost by being able to either draw on our own energy sources when the grid pricing is high or utilise the grid when we don’t have solar available or during off-peak times.”
Evans said the District Energy Scheme would also integrate a range of smart technologies and networks to monitor and regulate the system.
“A smart management system enables us to optimise the time at which we either take energy from the existing grid or we utilise the generated energy from the site or when we utilise our storage,” he said.
Businesses at Tonsley have the choice to buy their electricity from either Enwave Energy or an energy retailer of their choice.
“We have an agreement with one of the local councils to take storm water which we’ll then treat, turn into recycled water and reticulate to a number of customers in the precinct for non-potable uses,” Evans said.
“Similarly, for thermal energy, we’ll provide some chillers and boilers which will enable us to reticulate it in the form of either hot and cold water to be used by buildings to ensure efficient processes around the way in which they are cooled or heated.”
Tonsley is managed by Renewal SA on behalf of the South Australian Government and is the home of leading firms in the renewable energy sector, including SIMEC ZEN Energy, Tesla, AZZO and Siemens.
Renewal SA General Manager of Property Mark Devine said the Enwave proposal would deliver on Tonsley’s commitment to become a climate smart district.
The scheme highlights South Australia’s leadership in the adoption of renewable energy.
In November 2017, Tesla commissioned the world’s largest lithium-ion battery (100MW/129MWh) at Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm in South Australia’s Mid-North.
SolarReserve has announced a $650 million Aurora Solar Energy Project, involving the development of a 150MW solar thermal plant in Port Augusta, the largest of it’s kind in the world.