August 31 2021
Denham wind turbines temporarily turned off during power station upgrade
• New generation system for Denham to include wind, solar and battery storage
• Green hydrogen to be trialled as part of the future generation solution for the town
Horizon Power presently supplies power to Denham’s 750 residents through a hybrid wind generation and diesel system, with wind supplying around 30 percent of demand.
As part of the new generation solution for Denham, the existing diesel power station is undergoing an upgrade and the town is currently being powered by a temporary power station. The wind farm has been temporarily turned off while the upgrade takes place.
The wind farm was previously owned by Synergy and when operating at full capacity, supplied approximately 30 per cent of Denham’s energy requirements. Ownership of the wind farm was transferred to Horizon Power in May 2021.
Three of the four turbines have been in use for almost 25 years. One has been in operation for 14 years.
Two of the four turbines are still operational, while a third is undergoing maintenance. A fourth is significantly damaged and expected to be permanently decommissioned.
Once the upgrade of the power station is complete towards the end of this year, three of the four wind turbines are expected to be brought back online. Horizon Power plans to monitor their condition and determine whether there are options to either extend their life or replace them.
Horizon Power is currently installing a 1.3MW solar farm, a large battery energy storage system, and a green hydrogen demonstration plant. The hydrogen plant is expected to generate up to 526MWh of renewable electricity per year, the equivalent energy used to power up to 100 homes in the town of Denham.
The combination of solar, battery energy storage, wind and green hydrogen will ensure that Denham’s future generation system will include a high percentage of renewable energy combined with diesel generation.
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