A portable solar-diesel/gas microgrid has been installed, operated and removed from a remote village in Queensland, Australia, in a demonstration of modular hybrid power system technology.

The pilot system, consisting of 141 kilowatt peak (kWp) of solar PV, was deployed at a construction worker village within one week of leaving the factory, 1,000 km away, to help reduce diesel fuel consumption of four brownfield generators already located onsite. After six months of operation, the system was packed up in less than 170 person-hours and successfully relocated.

The pilot system was deployed at a construction worker village within one week of leaving the factory, 1,000 km away. Image credit: ABB.Hybrid microgrid power systems can benefit customers in off-grid areas by reducing their dependence on diesel/gas generators, which are expensive to maintain and operate on fuel that must be transported to the site and can be subject to volatile pricing. Solar PV and wind generation can be cheaper than diesel/gas in some off-grid locations and, when complemented with backup or storage technologies, can bring remote operations and communities closer to energy autonomy. They also reduce emissions created by burning diesel/gas fuel.

The portable hybrid power plant, branded SunSHIFT, combines solar modules, conventional diesel/gas generators and optional energy storage so that users can benefit from the advantages of solar power without having to commit to a traditional permanent solar installation. Developed and commercialized by the engineering and construction company Laing O’Rourke, in collaboration with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, SunSHIFT is transported to installation sites in container-sized, prefabricated modules.

The power station uses ABB’s Microgrid Plus System, a distributed control system that integrates all plant components. ABB's system is designed to coordinate the operation of hybrid power stations by stabilizing and integrating renewable power generation into the microgrid.