Impartial energy provide to change on the lights once more for the residents who’ve been hit by Cyclone Seroja

| |

About 35 cyclone-destroyed properties left without power three months after Cyclone Seroja will have stand-alone power systems to help them turn on the lights.

Important points:

  • Dozens of properties in the Midwest remain after Cyclone Seroja. without electricity
  • Western Power is accelerating the adoption of stand-alone power systems
  • Around 6,000 systems will be rolled out to remote properties over the next 20 years

The cyclone caused more devastation than Western Power has ever seen, with more than 4,000 electricity pylons in an area about half the size of Victoria.

The extent of the destruction has led Western Power to rush to plan to introduce stand-alone power systems – powered by solar panels together with a backup generator – on individual properties in the region.

The company plans to install a total of 6,000 stand-alone power systems in the Midwest and Southwest landowners for the next 20 years.

Of the 6,000 systems, around 98 will be installed this year, 35 of them in the Midwest.

The stand-alone power supply systems rely on solar energy and a backup generator to supply remote properties with electricity. (

Delivered: Western Power

)

Dependent on generators

Among those who will receive a unit is the Chapman Valley farmer Brady Green, who expects his new system to hit the market in August.

Mr. Green and his family woke up the day after the cyclone to find their house relatively intact, but their farm sheds, silos and machinery were badly damaged.

Since then, they have been dependent on generators to supply their house and yard with electricity.

“It was right at the beginning of the sowing, we had to put people in here, so we have Gen [generator] sets as fast as we could, “said Mr Green.

“But it just meant we were bound to the place – we couldn't really leave because the generators' fuel tanks only held fuel for a day and a half.”

Cyclone Seroja destroyed agricultural equipment, sheds and silos on the Chapman Valley Green property. (

ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Samille Mitchell

)

Accelerate rollout

Within a week of the cyclone, Western Power had restored electricity to 85 percent of the 33,000 properties affected.

But plots at the end of power lines remained powerless.

Sam Barbaro, manager of asset operations at Western Power, said it makes sense to accelerate the adoption of stand-alone power systems.

“Instead of rebuilding the damaged network, we brought (some households) up front and connected with these customers to switch to stand-alone power systems,” he said.

While Western powers are not yet required to provide exact figures on savings, they expect the stand-alone power systems to save millions by avoiding the need to repair and maintain remote power lines.

The stand-alone units are manufactured at Hybrid Systems Australia, where Executive Director Mike Hall is rushing to keep up with demand.

Hybrid Systems Australia produces stand-alone power systems to meet growing demand.

ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Samille Mitchell

)

The products of renewable energy providers are so popular that they are building the world's largest stand-alone power generation facility – a 16,000 square meter site in the industrial area of ​​Perth Airport.

For Mr Green, installing an independent power supply is a win-win situation.

“There is a lot of inconvenience with power lines over paddocks – it's dangerous because the lines are across our yard, so the idea that none of that is here is pretty exciting,” said Mr. Green.

“And when you think of burning coal in Collie to light our stoves, that's crazy, so it's pretty exciting to switch to solar power.”

Previous

Tanzania: Firm plans solar battery plant in Mwanza – AllAfrica.com

Solar Inverter Market Development Drivers with Rising Traits and Gross sales Estimates – GroundAlerts.com

Next