Territory energy retailer Jacana Energy has inked power purchase agreements with Plenitude to buy 45MW of electricity from solar farms at Katherine, Batchelor and Manton Dam.
Jacana Energy CEO Rod Hayes said it was important to consider the system as a whole when bringing on new solar.
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“At Jacana Energy, we’re about leading smart energy solutions for the Territory,” he said.
“New sources of energy including renewables must be brought into the mix where it makes sense. We’re focused on lowering the total costs of the energy system.”
Jacana Energy can make considerable savings in wholesale energy costs through these renewable energy contracts, including the costs of services required to ensure grid stability.
“We’re being proactive in this space. The Plenitude contracts are the first large scale step of using solar farms to reduce system costs in the Territory,” Hayes said.
Each of the solar farms at Katherine and Batchelor are now exporting substantial amounts of electricity to the grid as Plenitude works through the remaining challenges to achieve full export levels and also bring Manton Dam to export.
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Electricity prices for residential customers, and businesses consuming less than 750 megawatt-hours annually, are regulated and subsidised by the Northern Territory Government.
While customers will not see a direct change to their bill, reducing system costs puts downward pressure on the community service obligation, so this money can be reinvested to other government priorities.
