Pacific Energy is helping to shape Australia’s future energy system with its stand-alone power systems, designed and manufactured right here in Australia.
In Australia’s vast and often remote landscapes, stand-alone power systems (SAPS) have been a beacon, offering a safe and reliable off-grid alternative to the country’s vast fringe-of-grid network.
Pacific Energy is playing a major role in developing and deploying SAPS nationwide. The company’s Managing Director Renewables, Daniel Jackson, said these systems are more than just a remote power solution.
“SAPS will play a critical role in Australia’s future energy mix,” he said.
While SAPS uptake has typically been driven by the need for greater power supply reliability, Jackson said the key drivers are evolving as the renewable transition continues.
“More clients see the CO2 reductions that can be made by the large quantities of fossil fuels that SAPS can displace,” he said.
Indeed, replacing a diesel generator with one of Pacific Energy’s SAPS can lead to a 70 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.
The benefits have been proven by early adopters, Jackson said, like Western Australia’s power utilities, who have been rolling out SAPS in bushfire prone areas at the end of long, isolated spurs to great effect.
Now, the versatility of SAPS is extending beyond remote utility applications. Pacific Energy is seeing a trend of miners and private industry replacing traditional mobile generators with smaller scale, rapidly deployable SAPS.
“This is because these self-contained units can be quickly deployed virtually anywhere, providing assurances against fuel insecurity and price fluctuations and helping clients to reduce their Scope 1 emissions,” he said.
This also extends to the National Electricity Market (NEM), with Pacific Energy seeing east coast providers do the same.
Jackson believes Western Australia’s continuing large-scale adoption of SAPS provides east coast operators with the confidence to continue pursuing the technology, seeing that it can meet their cost-saving and reliability objectives.
Locally made innovation
Staying ahead in the rapidly evolving energy sector means keeping innovation at the centre of all operations.
“At Pacific Energy, innovation is central to our product development,” Jackson said. “It’s how we continue to stay ahead of the curve.”
SAPS engineers and technicians at Pacific Energy have an ongoing review program for new technologies that emerge in the space, which helps the company determine if and how they could be integrated into its platforms to enhance reliability, functionality and efficacy for end users.
“We also make significant investments into research and development as an organisation, with a particular focus on SAPS development,” Jackson said.
This approach has led to the development of the Pacific Energy Centre of Expertise, which is dedicated to exploring new technologies and innovating processes that the company can adopt across its product and services offering.
One key outcome has been a range of rapidly deployable SAPS the company is rolling out for mining and commercial clients, the smallest of which can be installed and providing power within 60 minutes.
Pacific Energy has been continually refining its SAPS platform over the past six years as it works to deliver more than 300 units for Western Power’s Stand-alone Power Systems Program.
“These improvements mean our SAPS can cater to a wide array of customers, load profiles and functional requirements with very few changes to the design,” Jackson said.
“We have some of the most experienced SAPS experts in the country on our team, from engineering and design through to construction, installation and operations.”
The company’s SAPS are manufactured by a specialised team of locals in a purpose-built Perth workshop.
“Our specialised facility is one of the largest of its kind in the world,” Jackson said. “It’s kitted out with advanced manufacturing technologies, meaning we can produce units to a consistently high standard, quickly and at scale.”
Pacific Energy is committed to local manufacturing, which Jackson said not only ensures high-quality, cost-effective production but also supports job security.
“Our Perth facility means we can play a central role in strengthening and diversifying local skills and building up a strong foundational workforce for Australia’s energy and manufacturing sectors,” Jackson said.
Pacific Energy secured a $2.4 million grant from the Western Australian Government’s Investment Attraction Fund in 2023, aimed at creating local jobs and securing new investment opportunities that strengthen the state’s economy.
“The grant, plus our own dollar-for-dollar investment, has enabled us to advance the capacity and output of our SAPS by improving automation, safety and production efficiencies,” Jackson said.
Building the workforce of tomorrow
Keeping up with the demand for SAPS requires Pacific Energy to turn over high-quality units quickly and at scale. The company relies on a large workforce of skilled professionals, but the capabilities required are in high demand across the sector.
Jackson said Pacific Energy is passionate about contributing to the essential pipeline of skilled talent required to transition Australia to a clean energy future.
The company has developed an apprenticeship program that offers fabrication, mechanical and electrical apprenticeships that expose apprentices to many aspects of the business before participants become qualified tradespeople.
“We’re also developing an education-to-employment program that is building relationships with schools and fostering a pipeline of interest in the manufacturing and energy-generation sectors,” Jackson said.
The program is already providing on-the-job training for participating students while they’re still attending school. It also offers internal progression opportunities to junior and unskilled employees, supporting them with maths tutoring that prepares them for apprenticeship applications and further career development.
Jackson said there is potential demand for thousands of SAPS across the country as the tech continues to evolve, costs reduce and clients see more success stories.
“At the current rate of interest, private industry could supersede the deployment of utility SAPS in terms of volume and opportunity,” he said.
“Whether it’s replacing diesel generators in remote locations, powering construction and road crew applications, or even supplying power to festivals and events, SAPS have great potential across the NEM.
“And there are plenty of learnings that we can apply to accelerate the rollout.”
Western Australia’s SAPS rollout has set a strong example for the rest of country as it begins to follow suit, and as demand grows across the NEM, Pacific Energy is ready to support both utilities and private industry alike with its proven, locally manufactured SAPS.
For more information, visit pacificenergy.com.au
