In what is believed to be the largest Australian trial of its kind, a solar farm in Western Australia's Pilbara region, will be fitted with "cloud predictive technology" (CPT). The technology uses an interconnected network of cameras, pointed towards the sky, to sense approaching cloud cover. If cloud is sensed, CPT pre-emptively, slowly transitions the supply of power from the solar panels to a traditional power source, before the sun is blocked out altogether. This avoids sudden power drop offs. The trial will be undertaken using more than 3,100 solar panels to be installed at Karratha Airport in coming months. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is contributing $2.3 million towards the trial. ARENA CEO, Ivor Frischknecht, said if successful, the trial could mean significant cost reductions in the price of setting up solar power for industry. Karratha Airport plans to draw up to 30 per cent of its power from a solar farm to be constructed this year. If it does work it'll dramatically minimise battery storage requirements... that'll, something like, halve the cost of a solar farm. Ivor Frischknecht, CEO Australian Renewable Energy Agency "When you have a solar system, if a cloud comes over, the power output of those panels drops very quickly," he said. "It doesn't usually drop to zero, it goes to 20 or 30 per cent. "CPT allows the system to be ramped down gradually when a cloud comes over. "That allows the system to have much less battery storage, which makes the overall system dramatically cheaper." Mr Frischknecht said the CPT system could detect approaching cloud cover a few minutes in advance of it being overhead. "That is all that is required," he said. "It doesn't take very many minutes for a gas-fired generator to increase its output [to make up for solar]. "But it cannot do it in seconds, it needs minutes." With construction of the solar farm at Karratha Airport about to commence, Mr Frischknecht said he was looking forward to seeing the first data. "It's going to have a dramatic impact, if it succeeds," he said. "This is the first time it has been done on this scale. "It's been tested before at a much smaller scale, so we think that it will work but it needs to be proven to work. "If it does work, as we expect it will, it'll dramatically minimise the battery storage requirements. "That'll, something like, halve the cost of a solar farm." City of Karratha mayor, Peter Long, turns the first sod at the site of Karratha Airport's future solar farm. supplied: City of Karratha Meanwhile the first sod has been turned at the Karratha Airport solar farm site this week. Renewable energy company SunEdison Australia is leading the development, which will see 3,104 solar panels installed over 16,000 square metres. The panels are expected to ultimately supply one megawatt of energy, providing around 25 to 30 per cent of the terminal's power needs. Project manager, David Webster, expects the first of the solar panels to be installed in coming months. "They have got to be manufactured yet," he said. "We have a relatively long lead time on some of the equipment, including the panels, and it could be anywhere up to three to four months before any of that equipment actually starts arriving on site. "But we are targeting completion of the project and generation of power by the end of March next year. "Hopefully in time, if the airport continues to grow the way it has with the population growth up here, we will be increasing the size of the solar power plant." Mr Webster acknowledged the Pilbara's notoriously sweltering summers could affect the efficiency of the solar panels. But he said he was not concerned about their overall performance. "Higher temperatures do reduce the efficiency of the panels," he said. We are targeting completion of the project and generation of solar power by the end of March next year. David Webster "But that is part of what you take into account when you evaluate the output of a panel over the course of a year. "So there are days where it will get hot and the power will drop down, but overall you'll see the performance of the panels be relatively consistent." SunEdison business development manager, Wally Borovac, said the company was interested in exploring the potential for similar solar projects across the region. "I think it is a great opportunity for the Pilbara," he said. "But I think it is also an opportunity for all of Australia. "We're a country where we get an incredible amount of sunshine and solar panels and technology are becoming quite competitive. "So yes, we are looking at doing this, with projects that make commercial sense, across Australia."
A solar farm in Western Australia's Pilbara region, which has 3,100 solar panels, is trialing cloud predictive technology (CPT) that can detect if clouds are overhead using an interconnected network of cameras that monitor the sky. The system uses a combination of sensors and software to identify clouds, then automatically adjust its output accordingly.