Microgrid technology supports solar photovoltaic diesel power station in Australia

The arid climate and blistering summers in Marble Bar helped this small mining center in remote Western Australia set a world record for heat – 160 consecutive days at 37.8°C (100°F) or above – that still stands after 90 years. The burning sun has also made Marble Bar unique in a modern sense, as the site of one of the world’s first utility-scale, high-penetration solar photovoltaic diesel power stations installed by ABB, Horizon Power and SunPower Australia. ABB’s Microgrid Plus control system and PowerStoreTM grid-stabilizing generator make Marble Bar (and its twin installation Nullagine) set new benchmarks for isolated hybrid diesel power systems with extremely high renewable energy generation and conversion (85 percent peak).