An initiative of Desert Knowledge Australia (DKA), the $3.1 million solar technology demonstration facility provides meaningful and accurate comparisons of the performance of over 15 different solar technologies in the arid central Australian environment.

The DKA Solar Centre is a technical, training and public facility that provides real time solar performance data, which can be accessed online.

The site was officially opened on 1 October 2008 by Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett. The majority of the installations had been commissioned in the week prior to the launch, however there was some commissioning activity for the second phase technologies over the following months, including of large scale tracking systems.

Installation for the first two phases of the technologies was completed earlier this year and all of them have now been operational for six months.

The centre produces 312,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year – enough to supply approximately 42 homes in Alice Springs. The Solar Centre saves over 100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, which is the equivalent of 25 cars. Power production from the DKA Solar Centre levels out the peak load demands from the precinct, particularly during the summer months when high solar resource coincides with higher power demands.

The centre is funded by the Australian Government’s Remote Renewable Power Generation Rebate Program through the Department of Environment, Water Heritage and the Arts and administered by the Northern Territory Government. DKA partnered with the Centre of Appropriate Technology (CAT); a key partner and Project Manager for the design and construction of the Solar Centre.

Solar on show Kyocera Solar, BP Solar, Solco and Phoenix Solar are some of the companies that have installed solar systems at the facility.

Phoenix Solar Australia installed a 6.4 kilowatt peak (kWp) ground mounted photovoltaic (PV) array at the facility.

This is the first time the Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin-film modules from First Solar have been installed in Australia. The company said that the project offers an excellent platform to compare today’s commercially available technologies for solar electricity generation under the harshest test conditions of the Australian Outback.

A number of systems in the demonstration facility utilise Kyocera modules. The Kyocera systems all use KD 135 solar modules, which have a nominal power rating of 135 watts. These have been installed on a range of mounting systems to allow comparisons between fixed, single axis and dual axis trackers. All systems are connected to SMA inverters.

Kyocera Solar National Sales Manager Mark Shakeshaft said the online DKA Solar Centre’s data information provides a great visual guide for comparisons between different systems, however it is important to normalise the output. Normalising the output shows the energy yield in a form that allows comparison between systems of different sizes – how many kilowatt hours are being generated for every kilowatt of installed PV.

“Using the data from this site allows us to compare the crystalline technologies that dominate the PV industry at the moment. We can now compare systems that have been installed under the same conditions.

“While it is still early days for looking at the results, the site is showing a great early indication of Kyocera performance and we will continue to monitor this for longer term performance trends,” said Mr Shakeshaft.

Solar training

The site has been used extensively for training and education – the centre has hosted numerous international visitors as part of the IEA-PVPS (International Energy Agency – Photovoltaic Power Systems Program) task force, has received letters of support from universities and research institutions from around the world, and has been very popular with school groups.

Most recently, the CAT brought a number of indigenous students to the site as a part of its studies for Certificate II RAPS (Remote Area Power Supply).

Solar online

The DKA Solar Centre and its website are now open to the public. Visitors to the centre can see and learn how solar systems work and investigate options that may be applicable to their home or business. The website is an interactive site designed to teach about solar energy and gain access to live data, comparing technological performance.

Group Manager Distributed Energy System Integration Ben Kroposki said “The DKA Centre is a very well designed project, can offer expert advice and conduct research on solar technologies, not only for people in Australia but throughout the world. I was impressed with the efforts that have been undertaken to make the facility both technically and academically relevant, as well as making it amenable to the public.

“The data that is being collected from the installed PV systems and applications, with the precision and breadth that is incorporated within the data collection system, is of significant international value. This is one of the most unique solar test areas in the world and the level of access to information from the site and data is unprecedented. I thought the website access to the data was particularly exciting.”

The Solar Open Day was held at the DKA Solar Centre and showcased innovations in solar and sustainable technology. Several hundred people attended the two hour event and feedback was excellent.