From smart meters to pumped hydro systems that sell electricity back into the grid, Blayney Shire Council has been presented with an extensive list of options to build on the savings already in place thanks to the recent installation of a suite of solar panels.
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Located over four council owned sites, CentrePoint, the Sewerage Treatment Plant, council depot and council chambers, the panels have saved in the order of $15,000 per year in electricity costs.
Those savings consist of $11,800 pa in lower electricity costs and around $3,500 pa in Feed in Tariffs.
Councillor David Somervaille said that the latest report, written by Constructive Energy, was a revision of the original 2017 Renewable Energy Action Plan (REAP).
"The report now takes into account a review of electricity usage, market conditions, emerging technologies and business models for council to investigate," he said.
The usage report shows that the Sewerage Treatment Plant is the largest user of electricity, and the site was perfect for an extension of the solar PV array.
The sewerage plant's continuous operation, the aerators run in 90 minute cycles throughout the day and night, open the possibility of battery storage being utilised at the site.
At the opposite end of town, and the energy use spectrum, at council's work depot, the usage during the day is offset by panels situated at the site and is the main contributor to the Feed in Tariff.
Beyond just the installation of more PV panels, the report offers many options that include Blayney becoming 100 per cent renewable.
Some of the main options include;
- Installation of smart metering and load control across all Council energy consumption sites
- Investigation and site assessment, business case development of a potential medium scale solar array
- Investigate opportunities for behind the meter (BtM) solar and battery installation
- Implement energy efficiency as a factor into procurement process
- Commence renegotiations for energy contract 3-6 months prior to existing contract expiry
- Develop and Business Case for a Village Microgrid
- Installation of EV Chargers and investment in EV Fleet
One of the more creative options that excites Cr Somervaille is the use of the excess water provided by Cadia Valley Operations to build a pumped hydro station.
"We'll have all this extra water that could be pumped up into a tank on a hill and then released at night to generate electricity that we can sell or use," he said.
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