Case Study
Micro-Grid VPP Solution for a Popular Holiday Park
INTRODUCTION
Reflection Holiday Parks – Shaws Bay is a unique holiday destination located in the coastal town of East Ballina in New South Wales, Australia. The holiday park offers a variety of accommodation options to suit all needs, from fully self-contained cabins to powered and unpowered camping sites. During peak seasons, the park’s main circuit breakers were tripped occasionally to cause blackout events due to high demand and increased usage of electrical appliances. The park management understands the inconvenience this may cause and chose to implement the peak power shaving solution developed by Redx™ Technology to manage their peak demand.
This case study examines the park’s peak demand issue and presents Redx™’s innovative solution to manger the peak demand on the site.
PROBLEM ANALYSIS
The Redx™ team took a data-driven approach to resolving the issue by installing a smart meter at the main switchboard of the site. This meter provided real-time monitoring of all three phases’ power consumption. Additionally, the team utilized historical power usage data from the distributor network to understand consumption patterns during different seasons and events, such as public and school holidays. By analyzing the collected power consumption data, the Redx™ team was able to identify the following patterns and anomalies in the site’s energy usage.
- The power consumption pattern of the site is very similar to a normal household, the peak hour of the day occurs between 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
- Power consumption can rise sharply in a very short period.
- Most of these blackout events happened during school holidays in the winter/summer season.
- The threshold for the circuit breaker is 120A, if the current of the phase exceeds the limit, the circuit breaker will be tripped immediately.
SOLUTION
Redx™ has developed an innovative micro-grid VPP service for this specific site, utilizing their latest RX2505AC battery and a cloud-powered AI energy management system. The system is comprised of three AC-coupled battery arrays, containing 16 RX2505AC batteries in total, capable of storing up to 76.8 kWh of electricity during off-peak hours. By releasing this stored energy during peak hours, the solution drastically reduces the need for power from the grid, thereby lowering the grid’s energy consumption during these high-demand times while maintaining current levels below the established threshold.
Moreover, the park has further reduced its energy costs by installing an additional 88 solar panels proposed by Redx™ on the roofs of select cabins. These panels provide the batteries with a source of renewable energy during the day, enabling them to be charged through the use of solar power. This combination of energy storage and renewable energy generation has resulted in substantial energy cost savings for the park.
The key component of the solution is Redx™’s cloud-based energy management system, which utilizes artificial intelligence models. This system continuously monitors the park’s energy consumption, generation, and energy storage around the clock, allowing the micro-grid VPP to automatically discharge stored energy as needed to reduce demand on the main utility grid. Redx™’s innovative AI models can continuously learn and adapt to changing usage patterns, ensuring that peak shaving remains effective even as energy consumption habits evolve over time. Inside the APS (application support sublayer) technology, these predictive models assist in optimising battery charging and discharging as well as having the battery primed 24 hours in advance.
CASE EXAMPLE OF PEAK-SHAVING IN ACTION
The following chart illustrates real power demand on one of the park’s main gridlines(L3) on December 31st,2022.
In the picture, red dots and green dots are predicted potential upper and lower ranges of power demands by Redx™’s AI models, available one-day ahead of time. The yellow line is power demands if Redx™ battery discharges are not available. The blue line is real-time actual power demands with our batteries in action, measured by a smart meter at the park’s power mains. Park’s 120A breaker current limit is the pink line at the 28,800W level in this power demand chart.
At 18:05, a big power spike came on Phase L3. If without our VPP battery discharge, this peak would reach 116A level (yellow line) which would be dangerously close to the park’s 120A main circuit breaker limit. If the peak exceeded the limit, the park would have a power blackout event. With Redx™ micro-grid VPP automatically kicking in, we successfully brought the current down to 96A (blue line) to provide enough margin from tripping the breaker. An interesting observation is those red dots around that big power spike at 18:05. From our AI model predictions, we knew power spikes might happen and exceed the limit around this time, 24 hours before. This predictive capability allows us to prepare for avoiding potential blackout events.
RESULTS
Since the deployment of the system on the Reflection Holiday Park, there have been no power outages reported, and Redx™ continues to monitor the performance of the system, making improvements to the AI algorithms for future development. Additionally, the solar panels installed on the roofs provide a clean source of energy for charging the batteries and decrease the park’s reliance on the grid during the day, significantly contributing to the reduction of the site’s overall carbon footprint.
CONCLUSION
Reflection Holiday Park, a customer of Redx™ Technology, has experienced the benefits of utilizing an energy storage system equipped with AI control for peak shaving. The implementation of this solution by Redx™ Technology has resulted in notable enhancements such as increased energy stability, energy efficiency, cost savings, and optimized energy management. The success of this project highlights the significance of incorporating both energy storage systems and AI algorithms in addressing peak energy demand and improving energy efficiency for commercial applications.
CONCLUSION
Reflection Holiday Park, a customer of Redx™ Technology, has experienced the benefits of utilizing an energy storage system equipped with AI control for peak shaving. The implementation of this solution by Redx™ Technology has resulted in notable enhancements such as increased energy stability, energy efficiency, cost savings, and optimized energy management. The success of this project highlights the significance of incorporating both energy storage systems and AI algorithms in addressing peak energy demand and improving energy efficiency for commercial applications.
KEY BENEFITS OF THE REDX™ SERVICE SOLUTION
1
The introduction of the Redx™ intelligent micro-grid VPP service has eliminated the need to increase mains capacity. Capital cost upgrades together with higher network pricing have been eliminated.
2
The Redx™ micro-grid VPP service provides flexibility for the Park to further increase its power demand through the support of strategically placed and managed battery assets.
3
While the renewable solution has a capital cost there is ongoing payback from avoided higher network pricing plus the value of the locally generated renewable energy. Redx™ distributed energy hedging technology also provides additional cost savings by hedging differences in electricity prices.
4
As power networks grapple with the impact of an increasing amount of distributed power generation, the combination of solar PV and battery storage managed by Redx™ intelligent services will be an increasingly common solution.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
“Reflections Holiday Parks Shaw’s Bay manages the challenge of energy fluctuations during peak occupancy, with guests utilising the park’s numerous facilities. We were in search of a solution that could guarantee a constant energy supply, especially with the uncertainty of network prices and grid reliability. Redx™ Technology stepped in with their innovative Energy Storage Solution, which combines solar and energy storage units managed by their AI platform. The solution was delivered through their convenient app and was implemented just in time for the busy Christmas season. To our delight, the solution accurately predicted energy requirements 24 hours in advance, ensuring a seamless energy supply without any disruptions. We couldn’t be happier with Redx™’s solution and wholeheartedly recommend their team to other holiday destinations and recreational facilities.”
Exexutive Team
Reflections Holiday Parks
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
“Reflections Holiday Parks Shaw’s Bay manages the challenge of energy fluctuations during peak occupancy, with guests utilising the park’s numerous facilities. We were in search of a solution that could guarantee a constant energy supply, especially with the uncertainty of network prices and grid reliability. Redx™ Technology stepped in with their innovative Energy Storage Solution, which combines solar and energy storage units managed by their AI platform. The solution was delivered through their convenient app and was implemented just in time for the busy Christmas season. To our delight, the solution accurately predicted energy requirements 24 hours in advance, ensuring a seamless energy supply without any disruptions. We couldn’t be happier with Redx™’s solution and wholeheartedly recommend their team to other holiday destinations and recreational facilities.”
Exexutive Team
Reflections Holiday Parks
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you need a battery?
When we depend on solar or wind power for energy production, there are peak production hours, and in some hours, you hardly see any energy production.
But you need a constant supply to run your house efficiently. So, a battery helps you to store surplus energy produced during peak hours and allows you to use that during the rest of the hours.
What happens when the grid goes down?
That’s where the need for a battery kicks in. Your house won’t run out of energy because your battery will take over and deliver power to your loads.
What size battery do I need?
It depends on your energy requirements, the number and needs of your electronic appliances and the size of your house.
Smaller houses can run on small units, while a bigger one needs a bigger energy storage unit.
Most households can run on a 2-5 kW inverter and 5-10kWh battery.
How can I monitor my battery?
Our Redx™ Energy Storage System is connected to the internet via Wi-fi or 4G; the device can be controlled and monitored remotely from anywhere. You can easily view real-time energy consumption and storage via the Redx Power™ portal or App.