Solmech completes 1.2MWh retrofit at Warnertown power station in Australia

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Solmech, an Adelaide-based solar and electrical construction company, has completed a hybrid retrofit at the 4.1MW Warnertown solar power station in South Australia: replacing six Sungrow PV inverters at the station with hybrid inverters, each paired with a 200kWh Powerkeeper battery unit, adding a total of 1.2MWh of new energy storage capacity.

Located approximately 215 kilometers north of Adelaide, the Warnertown power station was commissioned in 2001 as a 2.5MW ground-mounted PV plant, and was expanded in 2023 with a 1.6MW second phase, bringing the total installed capacity to 4.1MW. The retrofit was carried out by Solmech in partnership with Sungrow, a Chinese manufacturer of PV inverters and energy storage technology, with the aim of maximizing the value of the existing plant without the asset owner having to rebuild infrastructure.

The station originally had 30 Sungrow SG110CX PV inverters, six of which have now been replaced with SH110CX hybrid inverters, paired with Sungrow Powerkeeper batteries. Sungrow stated that integrating energy storage directly on the DC side eliminates the need for transformer modifications, reducing project complexity and significantly lowering investment costs, thereby accelerating deployment and delivering stronger commercial returns.

Sungrow noted that South Australia's grid compliance requirements are stringent, and AC-coupled battery solutions often require lengthy approvals and transformer upgrades, whereas the DC-coupled hybrid approach helps avoid these steps and achieves smooth integration. The upgraded system is designed to maximize the value of the solar plant, enabling it to operate more intelligently in South Australia's dynamic wholesale electricity market, capturing surplus solar generation, discharging when energy is more valuable, and responding more effectively to changing generation conditions and electricity market signals.

Newman Mundy, co-founder of Solmech, stated that the entire process, from installation to commissioning, went smoothly, requiring only the replacement of existing inverters with hybrid units and the addition of Powerkeeper batteries. The compact design enabled fast and efficient installation, and the new equipment could be accommodated within the existing shelter footprint with virtually no civil works required. Rock Liu, Sungrow technical support engineer, stated that each plant faces different constraints such as available grid capacity, transformer limits, and site layout, and this upgrade demonstrates the ability to tailor energy storage solutions to site-specific conditions while delivering substantial returns for the owner.