Solar for remote communities

As part of the $3.6 million Decarbonising Remote Communities program, 4 Indigenous communities in Queensland’s far north had renewable energy systems installed to reduce the use of diesel power. Participating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Councils were key project partners in planning and delivering these projects.

Using renewables such as solar and battery storage directly benefits remote communities that run on diesel by creating jobs and power savings, as well as bringing the environmental benefits of reduced emissions.

Doomadgee

Installation of the 304 kilowatt (kW) ground-mounted solar farm extension (adjacent to the existing 264 kW solar farm) is now complete, along with 105 kW of rooftop solar on 4 Doomadgee Shire Council buildings. All systems were commissioned on 30 November 2019.

This project provided around 15 construction jobs in the local community and the rooftop solar will help Doomadgee Council save around $30,000 a year on their power bills for years to come.

Mapoon

The Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council installed 65 kW of rooftop solar in the community during the second half of 2019. We supported council by covering the cost of network and communication technologies. This included upgrading the power station to allow council’s rooftop solar to work together with the diesel generators that power the local grid.

We also engaged the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network to deliver energy education to residents with the aim of helping families save money on power by being more energy efficient at home.

A further 95kW of rooftop solar and 32 kilowatt-hours of battery storage was installed on 3 council-owned buildings in late 2021. This is expected to result in annual power bill savings for the Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council of up to $13,000 over the next 20 years.

Pormpuraaw

210 kW of rooftop solar was installed on 8 council-owned buildings during the second half of 2020. The solar is expected to result in annual power bill savings of around $40,000 for Pormpuraaw Council over the next 20 years.

Northern Peninsula Area

360kW of rooftop solar was installed on 13 buildings across the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA), with all systems commissioned in the second half of 2021.

Each of the communities in the area, including Bamaga, Umagico, Injinoo, Seisia and New Mapoon had at least one system installed under this project, which is expected to save the NPA Regional Council around $87,000 per year off their power bills for years to come.