New South Wales, Australia
Being able to turn on a light or have hot water are things we all take for granted.
So when Base Power Ltd learned of the damage caused to the rural electricity network following the devastating 2020 Australian bushfires, it deployed its off-grid energy solution to assist.
Base Power Ltd Business Manager Jayson Vinsen: “We looked at what was happening in Australia and how it had affected so many people and thought we could help in a small way get these towns and communities reconnected with power and moving towards recovery
Essential Energy, which looks after the poles and wires that deliver electricity to 95% of New South Wales and parts of southern Queensland, received the Base Power units. Before they arrived, the units were retrofitted with extra installation to suit the Australian conditions, as well as communication capabilities to enable remote monitoring.
The extent of the damage to the Essential Energy network from the bushfires was unprecedented, with parts of the network destroyed. The company knew the rebuilding process would be complicated and time consuming given the challenging geography and remoteness of some parts of the network.
Essential Energy’s General Manager Customer and Network Services, Luke Jenner: “These units are part of a number of options Essential Energy is considering to make our network more resilient to natural disasters like bushfires, while lowering costs to our customer base overall.”
Amanda Heffernan-Buchan and her daughter Srisa Heffernan from rural southern New South Wales were given the opportunity to trial Base Power following the bushfires. They were interviewed about their experience with stand alone power on an ABC 7.30 story called ‘Off the Grid’.
Watch the ABC “off the grid” broadcast here.