Vestas and Australia’s energy company Windlab announced a partnership October 19 to develop the 60.2 MW Kennedy Energy Park, phase I, as what they say is the world’s first utility-scale, on-grid wind, solar and battery energy storage project.
The project is located in Flinders Shire in central north Queensland, Australia, which has “world-class” wind and solar resources. Kennedy Phase I will feature 43.2 MW of Vestas’ V136-3.6 MW wind turbines, 15 MW of solar and 2 MW/4 MWh Li Ion battery storage, all managed by a Vestas customized control system that will operate the hybrid power plant.
Through the complimentary combination of wind and solar energy, Kennedy Phase I can deliver a more constant and demand-driven energy production and increased capacity factor. The Vestas control system will provide the capability for wind and solar to work together as an integrated power plant and comply with grid requirements.
Vestas will also provide a 15-year Active Output Management 4000 (AOM 4000) service agreement, which includes a full-scope service package for the wind turbines as well as scheduled maintenance for the solar panels, battery storage and electrical systems.
A consortium between Vestas and Quanta Services will deliver the engineering, procurement and construction of the project, which is expected to be in operation by the end of 2018.
This project is planned to be the first phase of Windlab’s larger 1,200 MW Kennedy Energy Park, which seeks to deliver significant benefits to north Queensland and Australia in reduced emissions and sustainable energy generation.