The Esperance region is receiving the first of hundreds of standalone power systems (SPS) that will be installed around the state, providing greener energy to users.
The McGowan Government will construct 1,000 SPS over the next five years as part of its commitment to green energy and helping the local manufacturing sector, with $45.8 million granted to Horizon Power to create 150 SPS in the region by 2025.
Horizon Power will install the first 50 of the 150 SPS in the Esperance region beginning in January 2023.
The devices’ deployment allows for the removal of 260 kilometres of overhead powerlines, boosting safety and assisting the Western Australian (WA) Government’s push towards a low-carbon future.
Each system comprises solar panels, a PV inverter, battery storage, and backup diesel production. Its size is determined by the customer’s need, which ranges from 10 to 70 kilowatts hours per day on average.
The SPS deployment will assist regional communities by removing ageing power infrastructure and delivering cleaner energy, with the systems generating an average of 80 per cent renewable energy.
To date, 41 consumers from Beaumont, Munglinup, and East Munglinup have signed up to get one of the 50 systems, nine of which have been built and installed in January. There will be no change in the electricity tariff they pay.
The systems built in Perth under a joint venture collaboration between Horizon Power and Ampcontrol Limited, known as Boundary Power, are also a boon to the local manufacturing economy.
Horizon Power has pioneered the development of SPS, demonstrating the system’s viability following its response in 2015 to the tragic bushfires that devastated the Esperance region, including Australia’s first remote mobile communications tower powered by a standalone power system in Esperance and rolling out 42 systems across the Gascoyne and Mid-West regions to date.
Energy Minister Bill Johnston said the WA Government is committed to rolling out 1,000 SPS around the State as part of the Government’s aim to decarbonise energy in WA and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2030.
“The Esperance region will benefit from the roll out of the first 50 of these clean energy systems from January, with nine already constructed and ready for installation,” Minister Johnston stated.
Minister Johnston claimed that WA is leading the way in green energy development while enhancing regional safety and reliability.
 that will be installed around the state, providing greener energy to users.){kind=link}