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Coober Pedy

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations10
System facts30
Sources reviewed14
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

EDL's Coober Pedy Hybrid Renewable Power Station is a 9.25 MW isolated wind-solar-battery-diesel system supplying the remote South Australian town. The as-built renewable plant uses two 2.05 MW Senvion MM92 wind turbines, 1 MW of First Solar PV, a Toshiba SCiB short-duration battery, two diesel rotary UPS units, and a 3 MW dynamic resistor integrated with the existing eight-engine diesel station under EDL/Hydro Tasmania controls. EDL's 2025 update reports 74% average renewable penetration over operating life, more than 25,000 hours at 100% renewables, and a 116-hour diesel-free record.

Research status
Operating since 1 July 2017. EDL's current CY2025 project page lists 9.25 MW total capacity and about 11 GWh annual production. A January 2025 owner update reports nearly nine years of reliable operation, 74% average renewable penetration, 116 continuous diesel-free hours, and 64% lower diesel use and generation-related greenhouse-gas emissions. The separate ARENA grant/knowledge-sharing project closed in December 2024; the power station continues operating.
Historical classification
Commercial & demonstration
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
-29.01324, 134.75448
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Coober Pedy?

10 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

Australian Renewable Energy Agency

Provided up to approximately A$18.4 million toward the A$39 million project and published performance and lessons-learned material. [7][8][9]

Organization

District Council of Coober Pedy

Local electricity distributor and retailer serving roughly 1,250 customers through the town network; counterparty within the long-term supply structure. [14][9]

Organization

EDL

Developer, owner, operator, system architect, and power supplier; took direct responsibility for the final integrated control-system architecture. [5][6][9][8]

Organization

First Solar

PV-module supplier for the 1 MW fixed-tilt solar field. [8]

Organization

Government of South Australia

Supported the project and the remote-area electricity arrangements on behalf of the District Council of Coober Pedy. [9][12]

Organization

Hitzinger

Supplier/integrator of two 850 kVA diesel rotary UPS units using Cummins KTA38 engines. [8]

Organization

Hydro Tasmania

Supplier/developer of the advanced hybrid off-grid control solution and integration approach adapted from King and Flinders Islands. [11][10]

Organization

Senvion

Wind-turbine supplier/EPC contractor for the two MM92 units and associated wind works. [8][9]

Organization

Toshiba

Supplier of the SCiB lithium-ion cells/system identified in the detailed as-built performance report. [8]

Organization

UGL

Major site-based balance-of-plant/solar and integration contractor identified in EDL's lessons-learned report. [9][8]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

Wind generation
Approximately 4 MW (two 2.05 MW turbines in the regulator's equipment schedule) [3][4]
Solar PV
1 MW [3][4]
Battery storage
1 MW / 500 kWh project rating; regulator later reported 600 kWh [3][4]
Diesel generation
Eight 500 kW units [4]
Current total generating capacity
9.25 MW: 4.1 MW wind, 1 MW solar, and 4.15 MW diesel in EDL's CY2025 account [5]
Wind generation
Two 2.05 MW Senvion MM92 turbines, 4.1 MW total [8][5]
Solar generation
1 MW AC fixed-tilt PV using approximately 12,000 First Solar Series 4 modules [8][11]
Battery rating by detailed as-built report
1.5 MW / 0.49 MWh Toshiba SCiB BESS; public summaries round the usable integration rating to 1 MW / 500 kWh [8][5][7]
Regulator battery-rating conflict
South Australia's 2021-22 Technical Regulator report described 600 kWh; the project performance report gives 0.49 MWh and EDL gives 500 kWh, so the difference is retained as a reporting/configuration boundary rather than silently reconciled [13][8][5]
Existing diesel engines
Eight Deutz TBD6 V12 reciprocating units at 518 kWe each, 4.144 MW aggregate; EDL rounds current diesel capacity to 4.15 MW [8][5]
Enabling technologies
Two 850 kVA diesel rotary UPS units plus a 3 MW dynamic resistor and advanced hybrid off-grid controls [8][10]
Current annual generation
Approximately 11 GWh per year in EDL's CY2025 data [5]
Observed renewable penetration
74% average over operating life through the January 2025 update, exceeding the original 70% long-term PPA target [6][10]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Hybrid integration system

EDL

EDL reports proprietary integration technology; the reviewed government pages do not identify a controller model. [3]

02

Wind turbines

Senvion — MM92

Two turbines rated 2.05 MW each, 4.1 MW total. [8]

03

PV modules

First Solar — Series 4, 107.5 Wp

Fixed-tilt 1 MW AC solar plant; ARENA's public account describes approximately 12,000 modules. [8][11]

04

PV inverter

SMA Solar Technology — Sunny Central SC1000XP in MVPS

1 MW-class central inverter housed in a Sunny Central medium-voltage power station. [8]

05

Battery storage

Toshiba — SCiB

High-power lithium-ion BESS reported at 1.5 MW/0.49 MWh in the detailed as-built inventory, used for smoothing and fast system response. [8]

06

Diesel rotary UPS

Hitzinger / Cummins — KTA38 engine-based DUPS

Two 850 kVA units provide rotating inertia, fault response, and dispatchable support during diesel-off operation. [8]

07

Diesel gensets

Deutz — TBD6 V12

Eight pre-existing reciprocating units at 518 kWe each. [8]

08

Dynamic load

Model not publicly disclosed

3,000 kW dynamic resistor/heat-bank system absorbs excess renewable power and contributes to fast frequency/energy balancing. [8][10]

09

Hybrid control system

EDL / Hydro Tasmania

Advanced Hybrid Off-grid Control System coordinating wind, solar, BESS, DUPS, resistor, and diesel generation. EDL ultimately owned the overall detailed control architecture. [8][9][11]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Generation

    PV, wind, storage [1]

  • Development timeline

    EDL began renewable-integration studies in 2013, signed the ARENA funding agreement in July 2014, began construction in September 2016, and reached commercial operation on 1 July 2017. [8][7]

  • Current performance

    EDL reported in January 2025 that the station had exceeded 25,000 cumulative hours at 100% renewables, set a 116-hour continuous diesel-free record, averaged 74% renewable penetration, and reduced diesel use and associated generation emissions by 64%. [6]

  • Early performance

    In the first half-year of operation the plant saved about one million liters of diesel and operated without diesel generation for more than 1,300 hours, providing a dated baseline for later lifetime results. [10]

  • Control architecture lesson

    The balance-of-plant contractor initially held overall controls responsibility, but EDL took it in-house because hybrid communication protocols, interface points, media, hardware, and physical layouts crossed multiple supplier packages. EDL says single-party visibility reduced schedule and integration risk. [9]

  • Delivery lesson

    EDL used four major EPC packages and found that including subcontractors in design reviews was essential, particularly around BESS and PV-inverter interfaces. Roughly 17% of site labor hours were local after work packages were divided to match local capability. [9]

  • Network and customer context

    The District Council distributes and retails electricity to nearly 1,250 customers over about 115 km of overhead and 13 km of underground lines. Smart meters replaced most customer meters in 2021; EDL owns the generation station, not the council distribution network. [14]

  • Regulatory status

    A 2021-22 Technical Regulator audit found no evidence that EDL and the council generally failed to comply with their safety, reliability, maintenance, switching, and contractor-management processes, while still issuing improvement advice. [13]

Provenance

14 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2020-07-05

  2. [2]
    Mart Moppel

    flickr.com · Archived source · captured 2020-07-05

  3. [3]
    Off-grid energy projects — Coober Pedy Renewable Hybrid Project

    Government of South Australia · Primary source

  4. [4]
    Technical Regulator Annual Report 2021–22

    Government of South Australia · Primary source

  5. [5]
  6. [6]
  7. [7]
    Coober Pedy Renewable Diesel Hybrid

    Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  8. [8]
    Coober Pedy Hybrid Renewable Project Second Year Performance Report

    EDL / Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  9. [9]
    Coober Pedy Renewable Hybrid Project Lessons Learnt Report

    EDL / Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  10. [10]
    Hybrid Power Generation for Australian Off-grid Mines

    Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  11. [11]
    Time to ditch the generator? The town where renewables took over

    Australian Renewable Energy Agency · Primary source

  12. [12]
    Off-grid projects: Coober Pedy

    Government of South Australia Department for Energy and Mining · Primary source

  13. [13]
    Technical Regulator Annual Report 2021-22

    Government of South Australia Office of the Technical Regulator · Primary source

  14. [14]
    District Council of Coober Pedy Annual Business Plan 2024-25

    District Council of Coober Pedy · Primary source

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