Beachcomber Holiday Park Hybrid Power System

Off-grid, distributed generation, solar hybrid system
Location: NSW

The Site

Beachcomber Holiday Park is located on the picturesque south coast of New South Wales, within the Eurobodalla National Park, surrounded by bushland and a pristine beach. Mindful of the environmental sensititivity of the park's surrounds and committed to an ethos of environmental and social responsibility, the owner's opted to install a renewable energy plant to meet the increasing energy needs of the park. This option was chosen in preference to installing a generator with a greater capacity or connecting to the grid. Embracing renewable energy also allowed the park to be recognised in the Gumnut Awards Scheme run by the Caravan and Camping Industry Association to recognise a demonstrated commitment to sustainability.

Technology

The power system is divided into two parts with one part providing power for the ensuite cabins and the other for the office, residence, activity room, amenities and outside lighting. The former utilises a 3.92 kW photovoltaic array and the latter a 6.72 kW array, with both arrays consisting of 140 watt BP Solar photovoltaic modules and Plasmatronic 60 Amp solar regulators. Each system employs a 5kW Power Solutions Australia inverter and a 48 volt, 1800 amphour battery bank. The inverters and the regulators have computer interfaces for the collection of data on energy production and use.

At present 2.52 kW of solar panels have been installed along with all the batteries, inverters and regulators. Installation of the remaining 8.12kW will occur in three stages over the coming three years.

Environmental Impacts

The completed system is expected to produce 13.3MWh of electricity per annum which will provide the majority of the park's energy requirements with generator backup when required. This is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 11.8 tonnes per year.

Funding Arrangements

The Australian Government, through the Australian Greenhouse Office (part of the Department of the Environment and Heritage) provided 50 per cent of the funding through the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (RRPGP). In NSW this is administered by the Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability.

Further Information

For further information about this project please contact:
Neil Fallshaw
Email:info@beachcomberpark.com.au
Ph: (02) 4473 5212
website: www.beachcomberpark.com.au