We're excited to announce that from this week, Carnarvon customers can enjoy the bill saving benefits of solar without having to worry about solar capacity restrictions.
Until now, access to solar has been limited so our microgrids aren’t overloaded with high levels of solar energy on the network. But thanks to cutting-edge internet connected technology that helps balance energy on our networks, we can remove limits on the amount of solar that can be installed in towns. We call this Smart Connect Solar.
While Carnarvon leads the way, Smart Connect Solar will roll out to all towns in our service area throughout 2024. This means more access to renewables for regional WA communities and is a significant milestone towards our goal of zero refusals when connecting rooftop solar by 2025.
Until now, access to solar has been limited so our microgrids aren’t overloaded with high levels of solar energy on the network. But thanks to cutting-edge internet connected technology that helps balance energy on our networks, we can remove limits on the amount of solar that can be installed in towns. We call this Smart Connect Solar.
While Carnarvon leads the way, Smart Connect Solar will roll out to all towns in our service area throughout 2024. This means more access to renewables for regional WA communities and is a significant milestone towards our goal of zero refusals when connecting rooftop solar by 2025.
Thanks to Smart Connect Solar more of our customers can benefit from the savings that solar brings.
This exciting project demostrates our support for the State Government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and helps us towards our goal of zero refusals when it comes to connecting rooftop solar by 2025.
How it works
As more renewables connect to the network, it becomes harder to maintain a stable power supply. The intermittent nature of solar energy due to things like cloud cover, leads to uneven flow into the grid. Smart Connect Solar uses internet connected solar technology that enables us to effectively manage high levels of solar energy on the network, whilst maintaining a safe and reliable power supply for the community.
It works with our Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) to predict weather patterns and forecast energy generation and demand, so we can effectively manage a customer’s solar generation in real-time and quickly respond to any changes in network load and weather conditions.
This helps to smooth the energy flow (so we don't have sudden spikes that impact grid stability) and allows more rooftop solar to connect to the network. Watch the video to learn more.
About Smart Connect Solar
Getting future ready
As we work to transition our traditional electricity systems towards renewable energy solutions, we invest in low-carbon innovation and demonstration projects. These projects help us explore how to connect higher levels of renewable energy into our microgrid systems, without impacting the stability of the network. The learnings we've gained along the way have made Smart Connect Solar possible.In 2019, Horizon Power became the first Australian utility to deploy DERMS technology in a regional microgrid, using it to coordinate customer solar with large-scale renewables and provide power to the Pilbara town of Onslow. In 2021, we were able to power the entire Onslow microgrid with 100% renewables for approximately 80 minutes.
Horizon Power acknowledges the Traditional Custodians throughout Western Australia and their continuing connection to the land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all members of the Aboriginal communities and their cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain images, names or voices of deceased people.