SA Water

Location
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands

Application
Reverse Osmosis Plant solar augmentation and backup for the UV disinfection facility, re-lift pumps and SCADA communications

BESS System Power and Storage Capacity

  • PV: 38kW roof-mounted solar
  • Battery storage: 96kWh lithium capacity
  • Inverter/Charger: 36kW, 3Phase

Project summary

The grid power supply at the Kaltjiti (Fregon) desalination plant is not very reliable and expensive. In addition to providing power savings for the new RO Plant, the solar augmentation at Kaltjiti will also offer valuable backup for the UV disinfection facility, re-lift pumps and SCADA communications allowing the water supply to continue to supply the community even during prolonged power outages.

The Kaltjiti solar project is a barrier risk mitigation strategy that will reduce and potentially eliminate Type 1 incidents resulting from loss of disinfection caused by grid failure events. The solar installation will also run the desalination plant and relift pumps that will virtually eliminate energy costs at the site, which is considered a secondary driver.

Project Overview

SA Water and Apex Energy Australia have successfully worked together on previous remote power projects. When SA Water engaged Apex Energy to develop, design and commission a reliable, secure and robust renewable energy solution for this remote site, we jumped into action.

Remote installation sites like this one have several critical requirements to meet:

  • Maintaining electricity reliability and equipment performance in high dust zones and 50-degree temperatures.
  • Maintaining equipment and component life expectancy.
  • Installation and commissioning must follow strict safety, environmental, and quality regulations and compliance.
  • Access and mobilisation of human and equipment resources to remote sites.

Working closely with the SA Waters deployment team, our Project Manager David Harvey and the installation team, led by Tim Woolford, delivered the BESS system with minimal fuss.

Read more about the project from the SA Water media release

Apex solution

The BESS solution is Apex Energy’s state-of-the-art containerised battery energy storage unit. Suitable for a wide range of applications, including off-grid, emergency backup power, energy stabilisation, energy shifting, load shaving, and frequency response.

The BESS’s ‘plug and play’ nature ensures swift installation and peace of mind. The Apex Energy monitoring portal helps customers to keep an eye on multiple systems from a single location.

The system has minimal single points of failure and can still perform if there are errors or issues within parts of the system. This means that power uptime is increased, and the need for rapid servicing should arise is reduced.

Fitted with high R rating insulation and active cooling, BESS ensures the sensitive electrical and battery equipment remains safe while operating at high temperatures.

The equipment deployed has been tried and tested in harsh outback conditions. Using only reputable suppliers with strong technical support and warranties provides added peace of mind.

Solar

Module Manufacturer: JA SOLAR

Solar Number of Modules: 102, 37.74 (kW)

Solar Inverter

Inverter Manufacturer: SMA Australia Pty Ltd

Inverter Model: 4 x STP10.0-3AV-40

Battery

Battery Manufacturer: BYD Company Limited

Battery Model: Other | Details: LVS

Number of Batteries: 24 x 4kWh, 96.00kWh total

Inverters/Chargers

Inverter Manufacturer: SMA Australia Pty Ltd

Inverter Model: 6 x SI8.0H-13

Multi-cluster box SMA MC-box 6.3

Inverter Manager and remote monitoring: SMA Data Manager-M

Our BESS system provided AGL with ongoing savings. The reduction in ongoing maintenance and delivery of fuel sources saved time and expenses.

The safe work culture at Apex Energy means that all our projects are installed and set up to the highest standards possible. Our attention to detail and care helped reduce the safety risk exposure to maintenance operation staff.

Our permanently based resources in the Cooper Basin meant that we didn’t have to freight equipment and tools to and from the remote locations, these were already on-hand for our installation team to utilise.

Furthermore, Apex Energy is certified under the strict ISO compliance system for safety, environmental, and quality systems. These independently certified systems meet AGL’s strict compliance requirements.