Sunnier Days Ahead For Home Solar In Horizon Power Towns 

Solar energy export limits implemented in some parts of Australia can be a bummer, but being unable to install a grid-connected solar power system at all would really suck.

This has been the reality in a number of towns in WA’s Horizon Power service area for quite some time. Horizon is a WA State Government-owned corporation providing power to approximately 100,000 residents and 10,000 businesses across regional and remote Western Australia.

The amount of solar power hosting capacity the company has been allowing in various locations in order to protect fragile grids has nowhere near matched demand from households and businesses wanting to install panels.

For example, only around a hundred new systems were installed between June 2018 (when we first reported on the issue) and April this year in Broome and surrounding areas (population: ~16,000).  It wasn’t until July a bit over 900kW of new solar hosting capacity was made available to Broome residential customers.

That was snapped up very quickly and enabled 170 Broome households able to install systems. Horizon Power estimates these newly added systems will generate around “1.4 million kW” of energy annually. I think they meant kWh – A kW is a measure of power and a kWh of energy (find out the difference between power and energy here – it matters).

Residents of Carnarvon, Exmouth and Denham have been stuck in a similar situation, but that will change soon as Horizon is preparing to release an additional 1,000 kW of hosting capacity. No doubt that will be spoken for rapidly too.

Applications for this new capacity will open for residential customers on 15 November 2021 and applications for businesses in Denham can be lodged from November 22.

But what about beyond this added hosting capacity – and other towns impacted by the limits?

Horizon says:

“Our goal is that all Horizon Power households can have access to rooftop solar by 2025, and we are working hard to make it happen”.

So, some towns will be waiting a while longer – but in the case of Exmouth it will likely be sooner rather than later.

Exmouth – 80% Renewables By 2025

Of the 1,000 kW new hosting capacity, 400kW is earmarked for Exmouth. The good news is a further release is anticipated after March next year, made possible by the installation of a new 3.4MW battery energy storage system at the Exmouth Power Station early in 2022.

The battery will help soak up surplus solar energy goodness generated during the day for release at night and as otherwise needed; and generally help maintain local grid stability.

Horizon is aiming to generate up to 80 per cent of the town’s power from renewable energy sources in the next three years. 20 per cent is expected to be generated by distributed energy sources (such as rooftop solar), with centralised renewable energy to contribute up to 60 per cent of the town’s electricity requirements.