Construction activities at renewables developer Neoen’s 200 MW/400 MWh Blyth Battery project site in South Australia’s mid-north will be powered by solar with off-grid power solutions specialist Commodore Australia deploying a hybrid PV and storage system at the remote location.
Commodore Australia has designed and delivered a commercial off-grid power system comprising a 42 kW solar array coupled with 75 kWh of battery energy storage capacity that the Victorian company said will provide a reliable and sustainable source of power for the Blyth Battery construction site.
French clean energy developer Neoen commenced construction of its grid-scale Blyth Battery project earlier this year with Green Light Contractors, a subsidiary of the Australian arm of Spanish infrastructure development group Elecnor, appointed as balance-of-plant contractor.
Commodore, headquartered at Shepparton in northern Victoria, said Green Light had since sought it out to design and install a solar and storage system that delivers a clean, reliable energy supply while displacing diesel consumption.
The hybrid system comprises a 42 kW ground-mounted solar array with three-phase 30 kVA worth of inverters coupled with a 75 kWh battery energy storage system. The system also includes a 56 kVA back-up generator.
The off-grid solar solution, which is scheduled to commence operations within a “matter of weeks”, will be capable of meeting the site’s power requirements during the day while the battery storage energy system will provide back-up power at night and during inclement weather.
Commodore Sales and Marketing Manager Matt Miller said the installation of the system is part of a growing trend for off-grid renewable energy solutions in the construction industry.
“The commercial market for our containerised solutions and Power Skids has come in leaps and bounds in the past three years in particular,” he said. “While interest has been shown previously across mining and other industries in Australia, high diesel prices, CSR (corporate social responsibility) considerations and genuinely great expected return on investments has made off-grid solar a smart option to power most remote sites.”
Miller said he expects the trend will accelerate once more solutions enter job sites, mines and other use cases.
“The return on investment (ROI) of utilising solar and low voltage battery storage/off-grid systems compared to diesel generators is fantastic,” he said. “The general ROI versus running a diesel generator fulltime to run the site is between 4-5 years once you account for regular 250-hour generator service intervals, the cost of diesel and other relevant costs.”
“Not to mention, far less downtime since off-grid systems require far less maintenance than a diesel generator and environmental factors driving corporate social responsibility.”
Miller said the portable nature of the company’s systems also makes them ideal for construction and mining industries, as they can be easily moved from site to site.
The system installed at the Blyth site includes a ground-mounted PV array but many of Commodore’s renewable energy solutions feature the company’s unique layered solar system that allows it to maximise the generation capacity of a shipping container rooftop.
The patented design features up to three “layers” of solar that can slide on top of each other, expand out and lift to about 30 degrees.
The system, which ranges from 5.95 kW per 20ft container to 11.9 kW per 40ft container, is all hydraulic and automated and has been programmed to pack itself up if wind speeds get too high.
Supporting next-generation site monitoring with reliable, transportable off-grid power
Autonomous drone systems are becoming a valuable tool for remote mining operations....
Solar grants and rebates in Australia can be confusing.
Some incentives are federal. Others are managed by state governments, electricity retailers,...
Microgrids are becoming a bigger part of the energy conversation, especially in remote, regional and resilience-focused applications. In simple terms,...
Rising fuel costs and supply uncertainty are reshaping energy decisions in Australia, strengthening the case for renewables across residential, commercial...
True North Copper engaged Commodore Australia to deliver a dependable, low-maintenance off-grid power system for its mining exploration camp outside...
[Updated April 2026]
Natural disasters can have a serious impact on Queensland farms, small businesses, not-for-profit organisations and regional communities. Floods,...
Important Update:Â The Australian Government has recently announced changes to the Solar Battery Rebate Scheme, with reductions coming into effect in...
Overview
The Goorambat East Solar Farm, located approximately 12 kilometres north of Benalla in Victoria, is a ground-breaking renewable energy project...
Introduction
Off-grid solar systems are increasingly important for reliable power solutions, particularly in remote and challenging locations. Commodore Australia specialises...
Introduction
Effective lighting is vital for mining and construction sites. Commodore Australia's Relocatable Solar-Powered Light Tower provides a versatile,...
Background
In the rugged and remote terrains of Northern Queensland, a telecommunications site faced a critical challenge. Establishing a stable and...
Commodore Australia, a leading Australian manufacturer of off-grid power solutions, has recently unveiled a revolutionary new product: the Transportable Power...
Unlocking Solar Potential: Off-Grid Finance Solutions in Australia
Summary: Discover financial incentives and programs that make off-grid solar systems accessible and...
Venturing into off-grid solar energy is an empowering move towards self-sufficiency and sustainable living. Particularly for those residing in remote...
Case Study: Integrating Reliable 3-Phase Power with a Single Phase Connection
Background
Living in a high-risk bushfire area and operating machinery requiring...
Is one type of inverter clearly superior? Both transformer-based and transformerless inverters have their own sets of advantages. Transformer-based inverters...
Introduction
Veolia International, dedicated to providing innovative environmental solutions. Embarked on a project to deploy a mobile water filtration unit,...
