ENERGY GLOBE
Nauru

WINNER:
Infratec Sunergise JV

With the Project:
The Northwest Pacific Project

The Northwest Pacific Project is a joint venture between Infratec and Sunergise who have built five solar plants concurrently across four Pacific countries, with a collective capacity of 1.7 MW. It delivered a mixture of rooftop and ground mounted solar systems, and took 19 months to complete. All of the five plants have been operational since March 2020. All four Pacific countries had been heavily relying on diesel fuel as their main source of energy production. However, this project not only reduces diesel fuel consumption in the Pacific by 750,000 l per year but also significantly improved the energy reliability and strengthened grid utility. It focuses on providing clean, reliable and cost-effective power solutions in the Pacific.

INITIAL SITUATION

The four countries that stood to benefit from this project, all heavily relied on diesel fuel as their main source of energy production. The high emission factor associated with this type of energy is the main reason to look for greener energy sources. Due to each country’s location, the high costs of diesel fuel were becoming increasingly unsustainable. The demand for electricity was also increasing across these island countries and the electricity systems were simply not able to cater for this growing demand. Nauru’s phosphate rich land and economic reliance on this substance had led to extensive mining, which left the country with a barren terrain of jagged limestone pinnacles up to 15 m high. However, Nauru has set a target of having 50% of grid-supplied electricity generated from renewable sources and this project will significantly assist in meeting that target.

SOLUTION

The project delivered a 1.15 MW ground mount grid-connected solar photovoltaic system in Nauru which reduces diesel fuel usage by approximately 600,000 l per year and will provide 6.6% of Nauru’s annual energy consumption. For Nauru, this is a significant milestone in their journey to have 50% of their grid-supplied electricity generated from renewable sources. In Palau, it delivered a 109 kWp roof mount grid-connected solar photovoltaic system, and a 65 kWp and 168 kWh BESS system. It has been able to save approximately 85 l of diesel fuel per day and around NZD $62,000 a year. In addition, a 136 kWp roof mount grid-connected solar photovoltaic system was delivered to the Republic of Marshall Islands and 273 kWp ground mount grid-connected solar photovoltaic system to the Federated States of Micronesia. Each site was designed to maximise the energy output and increase financial savings in each area. Looking at the whole project, it was able to reduce the diesel fuel consumption in the Pacific by 750,000 l per year.

INNOVATION

There were a range of challenges that required innovative solutions. Two of the sites, Palau and the Marshall Islands, are closely situated to the ocean. This has led to bi-facial panels being used on both sites. Bi-facial panels are frameless which mitigate any possible corrosion and they catch reflection on both sides which assists to maximise the energy output of these two smaller plants. The land quality in Nauru was another one of the challenges that the project faced. The site was situated on the land that had been rehabilitated. However, a solution was developed in collaboration with Gayk Australia which involves a unique predrill method and drive foundation system. This method proved to be efficient and cost effective, and is a solution that will no doubt assist future builds of this kind throughout the Pacific. Another challenge is the shortage of fresh water on Nauru. Therefore, the photovoltaic system was constructed with a pilot water catchment system that is used to provide water for module cleaning and also serves as an emergency source of potable water for the island as the water is clean and drinkable.