Text Box: NT Solar PV Commercialisation Pilot Project --- Information Package ---

Individual Site Details: Bulman

 

The Bulman Solar Power Station is the smaller of the two and is being build first. The photo above was taken during construction. Commissioning took place in November 2002, with the formal opening on 20 November 2002.

 

Location: The Solar Power Station is located at the Bulman Community, on the road between Katherine and
Nhulunbuy (Gove). This is at the southern edge of Arnhem Land, in the tropical zone of the Northern Territory and three hours drive east of Katherine.


Wet Season vehicular access to Bulman is frequently cut off. The solar power system will extend the use of the on-site fuel storage and thereby increase the reliability and availability of the community’s power supply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How it works:

 

 

  1. Solar panels convert solar energy from the sun into Direct Current (DC) electricity
  2. The inverter converts DC electricity into Alternating Current (AC) electricity
  3. The control system ensures maximum utilisation of the solar energy and the highest reliability of power supply
  4. A communication system allows remote monitoring and control of all key system parameters
  5. A transformer increases the voltage of the AC electricity for transmission to Bulman and Weemol

Solar System Details:

 
Solar panel type: Uni-Solar, tripple junction amorphous silicon on steel backing
Panel power rating: 720 x 64 Watt (SSR-64) plus 80 x 128 Watt (SSR-128)
Total capacity: 800 panels, 56.3 kWp
Inverter details: Advanced Energy Systems (AES), 2 x 30 kVA Current Controlled Inverters
System output: 415 V, three phase, connected to the existing power station
Control system: AES control system, with full data logging and remote control
Energy output: predicted at 82,000 kWh/year
Diesel savings: predicted at 25,000 litres/year
Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions: predicted at 73 tonnes/year

 

Existing Power Station Details:

The existing power station has an installed capacity of 360 kW provided by three diesel engines (90 kW, 110 kW & 160 kW) with a 2nd generation Powercorp "Intelligent Power System" station controller. The output from the station is via two 11 kV feeders and the maximum demand is around 160 kW.