Solar PV to combat high electricity costs – Energy Matters

The South Australian Water Corporation will install rooftop solar PV and battery storage systems to offset increasing electricity prices.

In a request for tender launched last week, SA Water says it is seeking to build a grid-connected solar system of over 100 kW.

In addition, the tender calls for a 50 kWh battery storage system and smart controls.

SA Water manages more than 27,000 km of water mains, including 9,266 km in the Adelaide metropolitan area.

The corporation says installing solar and storage systems will manage periods of high electricity prices and guarantee sustainable water supply.

The proposed system shall be behind the meter, and designed to minimise electricity costs via the ability to dispatch stored energy as required, the tender request states.

SA Water is investing in rooftop solar PV and battery storage. Image: Pixabay

The system should have the ability to smooth grid supplied energy and also to use stored energy on site or export back to the grid.

Provision of system integration with remotely operated control and energy monitoring interfaces are to be included as part of the system design.

SA Water Corporation is just one of many water and waste management utilities around the country shifting to renewables.

In the Victorian city of Portland, a water and sewerage treatment plant will soon be powered by wind, with plans for an 800 kW wind turbine revealed in May.

And in March, also in regional Victoria, North East Water launched a tender to install 43 kW of solar panels and 40 kW of battery storage at its Yackandandah facility.

Meanwhile, the REC Peak Energy solar panels installed on many rooftops are so tough they can also be used in floating solar farms.

In Queensland, the City of Gold Coast is proposing to install a series of floating solar PV arrays on its network of wastewater ponds to offset energy costs.

In addition to preserving land, floating solar panel arrays help reduce the growth of algae in dams and minimise evaporation rates.

Tenders for SA Waters solar system close 2pm on Thursday, July 20, 2017.

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Solar PV to combat high electricity costs - Energy Matters