The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service’s switch to renewable energy has continued to use Australian-made Tindo Solar panels as it commissions a new system for its ranger station in remote Cape York.
The Heathlands Resources Reserve ranger station in Jardine River National Park has recently switched-on a 91kW off-grid solar system, powered by 224 Tindo Solar 405W panels and backed up by a 624kWh lead acid battery bank.
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The ranger station—in the remote interior of northern Cape York—offers crucial services to campers and requires a reliable electricity supply to run the compound, pump water, power its communications and run firefighting equipment at the station.
The state-of-the-art remote renewable power systems—designed and installed by Brisbane energy company, Solar Hybrids—allows the station to use solar PV and battery as its primary power source, with the diesel generator only required occasionally to recharge the batteries.
The latest upgrade is part of the QPWS’s ongoing program—‘Turning the Parks Green’—which aims to reduce diesel consumption by introducing renewable energy-enabled Remote Area Power Systems (RAPS) at its National Park Ranger Bases.
The QPWS has installed renewable power systems at K’Gari (Fraser Island), Diamantina, Welford, Lakefield and New Laura, using Tindo Solar panels. The Service has also recently completed a 100kW system at Boodjamulla—a site within Lawn Hill National Park—also using the Australian-made panels.
Tindo Solar director Glenn Morelli said the Adelaide-based firm was proud to play its part in supporting Queensland’s famous wilderness tourism.
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“The Queensland government provides the infrastructure so everyday people can enjoy the incredible wilderness. We’re proud to be a part of an effort to ensure that there’s a clean and reliable electricity supply in such a pristine part of the world.”
Tindo Solar is Australia’s only manufacturer of solar panels. It employs 50 people at its new facility in Mawson Lakes, South Australia, where it makes high-quality panels that use the world’s most advanced solar cell, the M10.
