AGL, RRG to power Australian farm with large-scale renewable microgrid

Project combines 9.2 MWh solar and 10.2 MWh battery storage.

Australian energy company AGL Energy (AGL) and RRG Capital Management (RRG) will build a renewable microgrid for Koompartu Farms in the Riverland.

The 15-hectare project will include a 9.2 MWh single-axis tracking solar PV array with more than 15,600 solar panels, a 10.2 MWh battery energy storage system comprising four 2.55 MWh units, 16 diesel backup generators, and 19 kilometers of underground high-voltage power lines.

AGL said the microgrid is expected to reduce diesel generator use by 88% while improving grid capacity and ensuring reliable power for Koompartu Farms' irrigation systems.

The company said the system is expected to generate enough electricity to match the energy needs of the town of Berri, which has about 3,000 residents, while providing a more resilient power supply for the farm.

The project is being delivered under a 20-year power purchase agreement, with AGL building, owning, operating, and maintaining the energy assets and supplying electricity to RRG.

“This is a first-of-its-kind project and has been designed to improve local grid capacity and provide the reliability needed to keep critical irrigation systems operating,” AGL General Manager of Sustainable Business Energy Solutions Brendan Weinart said.

“With diesel genset usage expected to fall by 88%, the project shows the role tailored microgrid solutions can play in helping businesses reduce emissions and improve resilience,” he added.