Wednesday, 29 July 2026

Geraldton Airport in Western Australia's Midwest region can now run independently of the grid on renewable power after commissioning an integrated solar and battery energy storage system costing AUD 6 million (USD 4.18 million), according to ESS News.

The hybrid plant pairs an 842 kW solar array with a 2 MWh battery energy storage system, ESS News reported. It was designed, built and commissioned by Perth-headquartered off-grid energy specialist UON.

Since commissioning, the microgrid has enabled 88 days of operation powered entirely by renewables, according to ESS News.

A AUD 2 million grant from the Commonwealth Government's Disaster Ready Fund covered part of the project cost. The airport operator described the microgrid as a win for the region on multiple levels.

The resilience case rests on the control layer. UON's proprietary Smart energy management system handles grid-parallel operation and automatically islands the airport from the Western Power network if instability occurs, maintaining power throughout and reconnecting once stability returns, according to the company.

Timor-Leste's first utility-scale solar-plus-storage project has closed a USD 85.7 million financing package covering a 73.7 MW solar plant and an 80.2 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), according to ESS News.

Three development lenders carry the debt. ESS News reported the package consists of USD 12.2 million in senior loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), USD 19 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and USD 12.2 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Operations will sit with Manatuto Renewables Power, a joint venture between French utility EDF and Japan's Itochu Corp, per ESS News.

Output is contracted rather than merchant. Electricity will be sold to state utility Eletricidade de Timor Leste Empresa Pública under a 25-year power purchase agreement, ESS News said.

ESS News reported the generation is expected to be equivalent to the typical consumption of approximately 80,000 households in Timor-Leste. The pairing of 73.7 MW of solar capacity with 80.2 MWh of battery storage gives the plant roughly an hour of nameplate discharge, a configuration aimed at shifting midday solar output into evening demand on a small island system.