· To make sure that we are better
prepared for grid outages due to hazardous weather including fire that may
damage our connection to the grid.
· To allow us to take advantage of
the worldwide shift to renewables and to benefit from the significant
investment that is now being directed into renewable energy production.
· To make sure that we don’t get
left behind simply because we are a rural community.
· To largely control of our own
power instead of wholly relying on importing electricity and fossil fuels to
burn from elsewhere.
· To contribute to Australia’s
efforts to reduce carbon emissions including the current government’s goal of
82% renewables on the grid by 2030.
A microgrid will allow the Braidwood district to generate its electricity locally, and to remain powered, even if the
main grid goes down. This has several benefits:
• It means increased resilience and self-reliance in the event of future disasters which disrupt the electricity supply.
• We can generate our own electricity locally, instead of importing it from the main grid.
• We can proactively transition away from fossil fuels and towards cheaper, cleaner, renewable energy, even if the rest of the grid is slow to transition.
• We are hoping that there will be some community ownership, which means that some of the profits will stay in the community.
• Braidwood region can be an example for how communities can improve their power infrastructure, massively increase the amount of renewables on the grid, and hopefully do it in a way that saves money overall, whilst keeping the lights on!
There isn’t one! If you do nothing, then your power bill will stay the same, you’ll stay with the same retailer. The only difference will be that during blackouts, the part of the Braidwood district covered by the microgrid will still have power.
The Project Plan for the Braidwood Microgrid has been
developed collaboratively by EDP Renewables Australia and Braidwood Clean Energy (BCE).
EDPR Australia is part of EDP Renewables which is a leading global solar investor and developer.
Its gross investment is €14bn ($A25bn) and it owns and operates over 28GW of
installed capacity.
The Australia team develops town-scale solar
farms in Australia, undertakes solar farm landholder engagement, system design,
planning approvals, financing, electrical connection approvals and
commissioning.
EDPR Australia projects include:
• Molonglo BESS, ACT (13 MW /
14 MWh)
• Hillston 1A Solar Farm, NSW
(4.99 MW)
• Hillston 2A Solar Farm, NSW
(4.99 MW)
• Hay 1A Solar Farm, NSW (4.99
MW)
• Hay 2A Solar Farm, NSW (4.99
MW)
• Mulwala 1D Solar Farm, NSW
(4.99 MW)
• Kootingal 1C Solar Farm, NSW
(4.99 MW)
• Temora
1C Solar Farm, NSW (4.99 MW)
• Orange Community Renewable
Energy Park, NSW (4.99 MW solar + 5 MW/10 MWh BESS)
The BCE is a community led incorporated association created
in 2019. It is a coalition of residents, business owners, farmers and other
interested parties working in collaboration with the Braidwood community and
relevant organisations.
The feasibility study and design stage has been funded by
in-kind contribution from EDPR Australia and BCE.
The bulk of the funding for this $15.6 million project with
be provided by EDPR.
As this is an innovative project, requiring the
resolution of several technical and
regulatory issues to allow the microgrid to be ‘Islandable’, $3 million in funding is being sought from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency
(ARENA) under its Regional Microgrid Grant Scheme to cover the costs for
the ‘Islandable’ aspects of the project.
Due to the strong community involvement, the
option of some portion of the project’s capital being raised from the local
community, possibly through a Co-operative structure, is included in the
project.
This would allow
revenue generated by selling the electricity to stay within the community.
Whether this aspect goes ahead, and if so how, is still to be
determined and will be discussed when it is clear the project will go ahead.
Given the cost of administrating such an
investment scheme, total community investment would need to exceed $1 million for
this option to go ahead.
There is the option for at least some portion of community
ownership in the project. Community ownership would mean that some of the
profits from selling the electricity would remain in the community, and
encourage a sense of pride and ownership, as well as interest in personal
energy use and efficiency which will help households lower power bills.
Whether
this aspect goes ahead, and if so how, is still to be determined and will be
discussed when it is clear the project will go ahead. Given the cost of administrating such an
investment scheme, total community investment would need to exceed $1 million for
this option to go ahead.
EDPR Australia has selected a site in a remote rural area in the broad Majors Creek area. The site should not be visible from the road and will have 3m vegetation screening.
The lease area is just under 15ha.
No. A project of this scale can feed into the existing distribution lines. Other than the infrastructure at the site, no new visible infrastructure is needed.
The design has the microgrid powered primarily from a single
community-scale solar farm with a large community-scale battery to provide
power all day. The solar farm will consist of 4.99MW solar panels and a 5MW/10MWh
lithium-ion battery system.
The
existing 2MW of rooftop solar in the Braidwood region will also contribute to
the microgrid when disconnected from the main grid.
The current timelines are for the project to be operational in the 1Q 2028. Pre-construction approvals and detailed design to be completed by 2Q 2026 with construction due to start in Q1 2027.
The
extend of the area supported during an islanding event will depend on the time
of year (due to solar generation). However, it will always support critical
infrastructure and many homes.
Yes!
If
electricity consumption grows, for example, through population growth or
increased uptake of electric vehicles then more solar and batteries can be
added to increase the capacity of the microgrid. These could be added anywhere
within the microgrid area. Additionally, new rooftop solar installations will
naturally add to the microgrid.
Solar
is currently one of the cheapest ways to generate electricity, and it is still
going down in price. The more solar connected to the grid, the cheaper
electricity becomes for everyone. By coupling it with a large battery we can
charge it up during the day and discharge in the evening when electricity
demand is highest, again, lowering the cost of electricity for everyone.
There
are also other costs associated with transferring energy from where it is
generated to where it is needed and maintaining all of the infrastructure. By
generating electricity locally and having a large battery to absorb peaks in
demand, it can potentially reduce the need for costly upgrades of grid
infrastructure such as transmission/distribution power lines, or transformers
at the substation. Working out the saving here is complicated, but if done
right it can potentially reduce the amount of money spent on upgrading and
maintaining the grid, which again lowers electricity bills for everyone.
Because
the community solar and battery will be directly connected to the national
grid, you won’t see any itemised discount on your power bill. However, projects
like this around the country will all contribute to lowering electricity prices
for the whole country. We are also hoping that it will be possible to offer
some form of community ownership of the solar farm and battery, so that a
portion of the revenue from selling excess power back to the grid would stay
within the community.
As part of the social licence for the project, EDPR Australia will look to provide support to local community groups or projects.
The feasibility study and design stage of the project are complete with EDP Renewables Australia now working on the various studies and reports required for planning approval (Development Application).
They have signed a connection services agreement with Essential Energy and network modelling has commenced for a 5MW Microgrid.
Not yet.
But when it is, the DA will be exhibited on the NSW government planning portal for 28 days.
The Development Application (DA) will be assessed through the Regional Significant Development (RSD) assessment process undertaken by Planning NSW.
Community participation is an essential part of the RSD assessment process, and any member of the community can have their say.
Planning NSW also seeks advice from relevant government agencies and may meet with key stakeholders to get a better understanding of community views on each project.
EDP Renewables Australia tries to employ locals wherever possible.
The greatest scope will be during the construction phase, although there will be some ongoing maintenance jobs. Such contractors will need to have the necessary experience and capacity to work on a project of this scale.
EDP Renewables intends setting up a register to find what skills and capacity there are in the local district once the decision to progress with construction has been made.
In addition, there is a flow-on effect to the wider community. Local retailers and service providers benefit from increased economic activity in the locality.
Research by the Clean Energy Council suggests that for every direct construction and maintenance job created, two additional indirect jobs are created.
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