Arcadis is engineering partner on Daintree Renewable Microgrid Project

Arcadis has been engaged by Volt Advisory to provide engineering services for the Daintree Renewable Microgrid Project. The design and consultancy organisation for natural and built assets will support Volt Advisory in developing designs for the implementation of a microgrid powered by 100% renewable energy sources on behalf of locally owned Daintree Renewable Energy. Arcadis will also provide engineering solutions for challenges associated with the integration of multiple generation and storage technologies.

Funded by the federal government’s $50 million Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund, the microgrid is reported to be the first isolated, fully renewable microgrid in Australia on this scale.

The World Heritage-listed Daintree region of North Queensland is internationally recognised for its tropical rainforests, with a community keen to develop a reliable and sustainable electrical power supply for residents and businesses in the region.

“Arcadis is proud to be involved in such a transformative and important project for the Daintree region, for Australian regional communities and for sustainability in general, and we are very excited to help bring this to life,” said Luke Keys, Business Leader of Energy and Resources at Arcadis Australia Pacific.

The project will deliver a design based on solar generation with hydrogen storage, which will allow the region to move from its current reliance on individual diesel generation. The project will also allow for a fibre-based broadband network to be integrated with the electrical reticulation.

The Daintree environment currently faces risks from the consumption of around four million litres of diesel per annum for electricity generation, as well uncontrolled disposal of lead–acid batteries and discharge from failing fuel storage. Regional tourism has also been hindered in this area due to low availability of air-conditioned accommodation and lack of effective broadband communications.

The implementation of the project will enable residents and regional tourism operators to access reliable renewable energy and a 21st-century communications network.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Martin Valigursky