MyEnergy Engineering
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. 2 min read
South Gap Station is a 100,000-hectare pastoral property located north of Port Augusta in central South Australia. Well beyond the electricity grid, reliable power is essential to the station’s day-to-day operations, making a dependable Remote Area Power System a critical part of keeping the property running year-round.
Upgrading an Ageing Remote Area Power System
South Gap Station was operating with an ageing off grid power system, including old gel batteries and outdated system equipment. As the system aged, the station had become increasingly reliant on generators to meet its energy requirements.
MyEnergy were brought in to replace the ageing equipment and significantly increase the station’s battery storage and inverter capacity, creating a Remote Area Power System better suited to the ongoing requirements of the property while reducing reliance on generator power.
Importantly, not everything needed replacing. The station already had 64 Q CELLS 270W solar panels, providing approximately 17.28kW of solar, along with two Fronius 8.2kW inverters. Both were retained and integrated into the upgraded system, allowing the station to continue making use of its existing solar infrastructure.
Pre-Built for a Remote Station
With South Gap Station’s remote location in mind, the new power system was pre-built on a dedicated power wall at MyEnergy HQ before being transported to site. Installing the complete power wall inside the existing shed required careful planning. A temporary opening was created in the shed to allow the pre-built power wall to be moved directly into position before being connected to the station’s existing electrical infrastructure.
Pre-building the system reduced the amount of assembly required on site and allowed much of the work to be completed and tested before the installation team arrived at the remote property.
More Storage, More Power, Less Generator Reliance
At the centre of the upgrade are two 15kVA Victron MultiPlus-II inverter/chargers, providing 30kVA of inverter capacity, paired with 81.92kWh of ZYC Energy lithium battery storage across three dedicated ZYC battery cabinets.
The upgraded Remote Area Power System also incorporates a Victron SmartSolar MPPT and Victron Ekrano GX, while integrating the existing Fronius inverters and Q CELLS solar array.
Replacing the old gel batteries and outdated equipment with significantly greater lithium battery storage and inverter capacity allows the station to make better use of its existing solar generation and reduce the amount of time generators are required to operate.
Remote Area Power System Upgrade Overview (Additional Components):
Giving an Existing Remote Area Power System a New Life
Upgrading an ageing Remote Area Power System doesn’t always mean starting again. At South Gap Station, MyEnergy retained the existing solar array and Fronius inverters while replacing the ageing gel batteries and outdated power equipment with new Victron components and 81.92kWh of ZYC Energy battery storage. The result is a larger, more capable power system that makes better use of the station’s existing solar generation and reduces its reliance on generators for everyday power.
Find out more about MyEnergy’s Remote Area Power System solutions here: