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TUREE CREEK STATION 
Turee Creek is a 27 718 hectare cattle station approximately 120 km South
West of Newman, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The property
has been operated by Mr Bruce Maguire for the last 35 years, and the station
has been a Maguire family property for over 100 years. Mr Maguire lives
on the property with his wife Suzanne and one of their six children. The
Maguires are familiar with renewable energy - they pump water at Turee
Creek, using 15 year old solar water pumps, and 100 year old windmills.Until three years ago, however, the Maguires relied on diesel generators to provide the electricity required to run the station. The generators operated for 18 hours per day, and the rest of the time there was no power. Then, in November 2001, with the assistance of a rebate under the Remote Area Power Supply Program, they installed a solar energy system. The result was 24 hour per day power and reduced operation of the diesel generator, down to five hours per day. Mr Maguire says that they chose a renewable energy system to "cut down on the use of diesel and also because the technology seemed to have proven itself as reliable". The system consisted of a 5.4kW tracking solar array, an 189kWh battery bank and two10kVA inverters. The Maguires were so pleased with the operation of this system that in August 2004 they enlarged it with the help of a second rebate. They added 144 solar modules, to the existing 72 modules and upgraded the two inverters to 14kVA each. Mr Maguire is very happy with his solar power system: "The quietness took a bit of getting used to at first," he commented. "When I arrived back at the house in the evenings I wouldn't hear the diesel and my first reaction was that something was wrong because I was so used to hearing the noise." Now the diesel only switches on for an hour or so in the late afternoon, when the power load is high and to give the batteries a top up charge.  Mr
Maguire says that with the reduced operation of the diesel generator the
maintenance required is also reduced. He estimates that the annual diesel
fuel consumption dropped from 28 000 litres/year to between 3 000 and
4 000 litres/year, providing an overall annual financial saving of approximately
$25 000, which means the family's initial capital outlay will be rapidly
recouped.Mr Maguire is able to carry out the routine maintenance required on the new system himself. This involves checking the level and topping up the electrolyte in the battery bank once every six weeks, just as you do with a car battery, and general inspections on the other equipment. Like most other people who have taken advantage of the RAPS rebate, Mr Maguire says that the biggest change to their lifestyle has been having power available 24 hours per day. And the best things are the simple maintenance, the fuel savings and the fact that there is no loss of power in the middle of summer, when diesel generator efficiencies can drop under very high ambient temperatures. At Turee Creek they run approximately 5 000 head of cattle, and while most of the year there are only four or five people living there, during the mustering season, from April to September, the population of the station can increase to 20 people. The station uses bottled gas for most of the cooking needed for the mob. The hybrid solar-diesel-battery system provides power for the entire station, including the general household items, air-conditioning, two hot water systems, cool room, three or four pumps (12 000 to 15 000 gallons/day), sprinkler system and workshop. Like anything else, it works better if the user understands how the system works and what they can do to assist the operation (and hence reduce the amount of diesel consumption). In this case, the Maguires try not to use the dishwasher when there is a high power demand. Other energy saving measures used include the purchase of several energy efficient appliances such as an air-conditioner, compact fluorescent lights, freezers and a water pump. The Maguires also manage the load by being careful with the use of the air-conditioners and by using the water pumps early in the morning. Technical
This case study was developed by the Research Institute for Sustainable Energy at Murdoch University. Both the Research Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Remote Area Power Supply Program are supported by the Australian Government through the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program. This program is implemented by the Sustainable Energy Development Office in Western Australia. |
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