Exporting Australia’s remote area power supply industry

Abstract

The Australian renewable energy industry has two faces: 1. Remote Area Power Supply systems (RAPS), where the trade-off is between the traditional diesel generator and diesel hybrid or the stand alone renewable energy system. The competency of the Australian RAPS industry is recognised internationally. 2. Grid connected renewable energy technologies, where industry activity is expanding rapidly, but where Australian competencies carry relatively little weight internationally (other than for research and development of related components such as high performance, crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells). Individual industry development strategies are required in each instance. The focus of this paper is on strategies that enhance the export potential of the Australian RAPS industry. Involvement of the electricity supply utilities is promoted as a means of quickly instituting a substantial industry presence. The term RAPS can be confusing. It is used to describe any supply system serving a remote user, be they a single property owner with a simple, stand alone DC photovoltaic supply, or several communities with complex, inter-connected, diesel/hybrid power stations, sometimes termed a ‘remote-grid’. Utility interest tends to emerge as market fragmentation decreases, system complexity increases and economies of scale become evident. A review of the domestic situation is a necessary adjunct to development of export strategies for Australian RAPS products. The two are inexorably linked, as is reflected in the format of this paper.