Arcadis, the leading global Design and Consultancy organisation for natural and built assets, has been engaged by Volt Advisory, to provide engineering services for the Daintree Renewable Microgrid Project.
Volt Advisory with the support of Arcadis are developing designs for the implementation of a microgrid powered by 100% renewable energy sources, on behalf of the locally owned Daintree Renewable Energy Pty Ltd. This project is being funded via the Federal Government’s $50 million Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund. When delivered, the microgrid will be the first isolated, fully renewable microgrid in Australia on this scale.
The Daintree region of north Queensland is internationally recognised for its tropical rainforests and is World Heritage listed. The Daintree community has long held the idea to develop reliable and sustainable electrical power supply for residents and businesses in the region.
Luke Keys, Business Leader – Energy & Resources, Arcadis Australia Pacific: “Arcadis is proud to be involved in such a transformative and important project for the Daintree Region, for Australian regional communities and for sustainability in general and we are very excited to help bring this to life.”
The project will deliver a high-reliability design based on solar generation with hydrogen storage, which will allow the region to move from its current reliance on individual diesel generation. The project will also allow for a fibre-based broadband network to be integrated with the electrical reticulation.
The Daintree environment currently faces risks from the consumption of around 4 million litres of diesel per annum for electricity generation, as well uncontrolled disposal of lead-acid batteries and discharge from failing fuel storage. Regional tourism has also been hindered in this area due to low availability of air-conditioned accommodation and lack of effective broadband communications. The implementation of the project will support the residents and regional tourism operators to operate from reliable renewable energy and 21st century communications network.
Arcadis will support Volt advisory as the Engineering partner developing the microgrid and solving the engineering challenges associated with the integration of multiple generation and storage technologies.