Program

The Kewarra Beach BESS is a HV connected BESS in the northern beaches of Cairns, constructed in late 2024. This is a 4MW/8MWh system with a 5MVA step up power transformer and four inverters. This is one of more than 50 HV network connected batteries that Energy Queensland is installing across it is distribution network. The lessons from the designs and install of the network HV BESS units like Kewarra Beach BESS, has developed the building blocks being applied for Isolated networks like Doomadgee, Windorah, Bedourie and Boulia.

We lunch at the conference venue in Cairns.

Ergon Energy’s state-of-the-art Microgrid and Isolated Systems Test (MIST) Facility in Cairns is shaping the future of energy in Queensland. With a supercomputer for real-time digital simulations and a large array of connection options, the MIST Facility is capable of complex testing for large-scale systems up to one megawatt. The technology housed here allows for the complex testing of solar and batteries, microgrids, standalone power systems, and hydrogen energy storage.

MIST enables new technologies through its:
• switchboard rated to handle live testing of simultaneous electrical devices up to 1MVA;
• dedicated 1MVA full export grid connection with synchrophasor technology;
• Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) with 30kVA linear power amplifier for Hardware in the Loop (HIL) and Power Hardware in the Loop (PHIL) testing;
• 60kW solar array and 40kW solar simulator;
• 83kVA/200kWh battery system with microgrid functionality, integrated into the facility;
• classroom training and knowledge sharing room adjacent to the test laboratory.

The $100 million green energy power plant at the Tableland Mill converts 100 per cent renewable sugarcane fibre, known as bagasse, into green energy. The power plant produces 24 megawatts of electricity – enough to power 26,280 homes – which is the entire population of the Tableland region. The project was commissioned in 2018.

Sugarcane is a distinctive feature of the Cairns region. This special tour offers conference attendees the opportunity to see how this type of biofuel is used for power generation. The Tablelands Sugar Mill is approximately a 1.5-hour drive from the Cairns CBD.

As part of the networking activities, on the way home, we will ride on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, starting form Kuranda.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is an iconic, must-do experience that will take you over and through the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics Rainforest, home to the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest on Earth. Skyrail travels directly over the rainforest canopy, and you will immerse yourself in spectacular views of the Wet Tropics Rainforest and Barron Gorge from gondolas and viewing platforms along the journey.