Green and renewable resources: an assessment of sustainable energy solution for Far North Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Remote communities, which do not have a connection to the national grid in Far North Queensland (FNQ), depend on dirty and costly diesel generators to meet their energy demands. The cost of power generation is considerable in those areas, because the diesel fuel must be carried by truck or ship and a fuel reserve must be held on-site in case of expected demand or weather closure. Moreover, Australia has an energy security issue in relation to liquid fuels. Australia is reliant on imported fuel such as diesel to fill the shortage, as domestic production and supply are unable to fulfil domestic demand. As a result, by deploying hybrid integrated renewable energy systems in remote areas, isolated communities may lower their power prices, enjoy a more secure and dependable source of electricity and minimise their carbon footprint by eliminating or reducing the usage of diesel. In this study, an extensive literature review has been conducted focussing on renewable resources for Australia and Far North Queensland, different hybrid energy systems including energy storage, and finally highlights the alternative clean and renewable energy options for Far North Queensland (FNQ) remote communities. In addition, this study has performed an assessment of renewable energy available from solar and wind resources considering climatic, geographical and economic aspects for FNQ. The literature review and the assessment show that solar and wind resources including hydrogen storage have significant potential for energy solution of FNQ. The assessment results indicate that selected regions of FNQ have suitable land area of 142,294.86 km2 (55.94% of total selected areas) for solar and 144,563.80 km2 (56.83% of total selected areas) for wind. The total calculated potential power can be 14,448 GW from solar PV and 1040.97 GW from wind energy. This study provides a significant pathway for parties interested in investing in renewable energy in FNQ. Moreover, knowing a land’s suitability will increase confidence and hence speed up the renewable energy investment.