IPS Connect Rottnest Island 2017 Chris Dowe Synergy

1. November 2017
Synergy’s Renewable
Energy Integration
30 years on

2. 2
What We Do
Synergy is Western Australia’s largest provider of electricity and gas,
holding over 2,800MW of generating capacity and delivering energy to
more than one million residential, business and industrial customers
Western Power transports
the electricity and manages
the poles and wires
Synergy makes
and sources the
electricity
Synergy sells
the electricity

3. 3
1975
SECWA
established
1995
SECWA
Disaggregated
2006
WEM begins
operation
2014
EMR
Verve, Synergy
Remerge
Present
day
Increased CompetitionState Government monopoly
How We Evolved

4. 4
Developer and Operator
Synergy has an extensive track record as a developer and operator of
renewable energy generation

5. 5
Renewable Integration History
Mumbida
(55MW wind)
GRSF1 (10MW solar)
Perth
Warradarge
(93-250MW Wind)
Albany / Grasmere
(36MW wind)
Key
Large Operational Asset
Small Operational Asset
Advanced Development Asset
Esperance (5.6MW
wind)
Hopetoun (1.2 MW
wind-diesel)
Geraldton
Coral Bay (3 MW wind-diesel)
Denham (3.6 MW wind-diesel)
Bremer Bay
(< 1 MW wind-Diesel)
Geraldton
Perth
Kalbarri (1.6 MW Wind)
GRSF2 (30MW solar)
Kalgoorlie
1987
• First wind farm in Australia,
Salmon Beach
1993
• Wind power gets miles ahead
in Esperance
1995
• Kalbarri PV System - $475k for 20kW
2001
• Albany Wind Farm – 21.6MW
2011
• Grasmere Wind Farm – 13.8MW
2012
• Greenough River Solar Farm – 10MW
2013
• Mumbida Wind Farm – 55MW
2016
• Alkimos Battery Storage – 1.1MWh
Future
• Greenough River Solar Farm II,
30MW
Future
• Warradarge Wind Farm,
up to 250MW

6. 6
Wind / Diesel Development
Goals
• Reliability of technology
• Power quality (utility quality)
• Lower life cycle and generated power costs
• Providing a quality “product” for the market –
increasing the penetration
Drivers
• Rising costs of remote electricity generation
• Consumer expectations for power supply quality
• Greater emphasis on environmental matters – RECS
• Funding available from the Federal Government
• Genuine desire to protect the pristine natural
environment many of these systems were found

7. 7
Wind / Diesel Development - Denham
1997
• Denham first large variable speed inverter
type wind turbine in Australia
1997
• PSAC from Powercorp
• Achieved 20% average wind penetration
1998
• 2 further wind turbines to achieve 690kW
• Control upgraded to include “SMS and “GSS”
• Approx. 30-35% wind penetration
2001
• Plan to operate with less or no diesels using 2
x 300kVA flywheels
• Flywheels did not meet specification and were
never used
2003
• Testing a new concept – Low Load Diesel

8. 8
Reducing the amount of load supplied by diesel generators results in
reduced costs and harmful environmental emissions however creates
some significant technical challenges in maintaining power quality.
Wind / Diesels SAVE MONEY BUT INTRODUCE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
Affect of 40% min diesel loading
Severe constraint on wind energy
100%
Affect of low load diesel operation
Allows very high wind penetration
Technical issues
Changes to plant operation
Issues with wind fluctuations – frequency and
voltage
Lower loading of diesels
Excesses in energy – reverse power
Changes in plant scheduling
Potential reduction in reliability
Changes in technology
0%
CONSUMERLOAD
Wind Turbine Input
Diesel 1
40%min load
Diesel 2
40% min load Wind Turbine Input
Diesel 1 5% min load
Diesel 2 5% min load

9. 9
Wind Diesel Sites
Denham,1997/1999
3 x Enercon E30 230 kW
1 x Enercon E33 330 kW (2007)
3 x Detroit 60 14L 320 kW
2 x Cummins 280 kW
1 x Cummins 520 kW
1 x Cummins 580 kW
Bremer Bay,2005
1 x 600kW Enercon E40
4 x 320kW Detroit 60 14L
Hopetoun, 2005/07
2 x 600kW Enercon E40
8x 320kW Detroit 60 14L
Coral Bay, 2007
3 x 225kW Vergnet
7 x Detroit 60 14L 320 kW

10. 10
Lessons Learnt
• Wind/diesel systems can provide fuel savings between 40-50% annually but not without system
automation and compatible technologies
• High penetration wind/diesel systems don’t come cheaply
• The control system is the most important element
• Standardisation is important but it is challenging particularly as systems age
Lessons Learnt

11. 11
Bremer Bay is fringe of grid.
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
BACKGROUND
Perth
Bremer Bay
Perth
Albany

12. 12
Bremer Bay is fringe of grid.
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
BACKGROUND

13. 13
The Powercorp control systems are failing and are no longer supported
• By replacing the Bremer Bay Control system
spares can be released for the other
wind/diesel sites.
• Bremer Bay was identified as the best site
in Synergy fleet to install and test a new
control system
• This project will provide an upgrade path
for the rest of Synergy Wind/Diesel sites.
(Coral Bay, Denham and Hopetoun).
• Synergy has long wanted to pull the
operational data from these sites into
our Corporate Pi historian for analysts
and Engineers to utilise.
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
KEY DRIVERS

14. 14
Synergy and Western Power worked together successfully on this project
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT / COLLABORATION
• Late 2016 - Synergy initiated the control system replacement project
• Early 2017 - Western Power were informed that the control system replacement project
was going ahead. Western Power expressed a desire to automate the local network
with the power station in order to improve reliability.
• April/May 2017 – Scope of work was completed and RFQ was issued to the market
• Aug 2017 - Synergy award contract to Contract Power to supply, install and commission
the comap control system.
• Sep/Oct 2017 – Engineering and procurement activities.
• Nov/Dec 2017 – Construction and commissioning

15. 15
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
COMAP CONTROL SYSTEM AND IT INTEGRATION
This includes:
• Spinning reserve margin
• Step load capability
• Generator scheduling
• Renewable power sources
• HMI remote access
• Alarm notification (email,txt)
• OPC data for PI historian
• Remotely manage OT infrastructure
A Comap Control system is being utilised at Bremer bay, this include
generator, feeder and Power station controllers. When reviewing the
functionality of the Comap control system combined with Synergy IT
architecture we confirmed that all existing Powercorp control functionality
had been captured and upgraded.

16. 16
The main deliverables for this project include being able to run the power
station in the following operating modes:
1. Grid connected
In this mode the power station is connected to South West Interconnected System with
only the wind turbine operating
• Whilst in this mode the power station will have the ability to automatically start
and stop as required by Western Power (Network Operation Control Centre).
This will typically happen during a network outage.
2. Isolated system
In this mode the Diesel Generator’s and wind turbine will in operate in parallel as an
islanded system.
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
PROJECT OUTCOMES

17. 17
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
PROJECT OUTCOMES
LOSS OF POWER COMMS SIGNAL START UP GENERATOR START WIND TURBINE POWER RESTORED
Western Power sends radio
signal to power station

18. 18
Bremer Bay is a prime candidate to be set up as a permanent Micro grid.
The project could be executed in following stages:
Battery utilised to decrease the time of an outage from seconds to milliseconds and support
town load whilst diesel generator’s start.
Installation of additional renewable generation and battery storage, this could be residential
solar and battery storage with Virtual power plant functionality.
Decommission Power line to Albany.
CASE STUDY – BREMER BAY CONTROL SYSTEM REPLACEMENT
FUTURE FOR BREMER BAY

19. STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL