Woodford Waste Transfer Station

Springers Solar, off-grid specialists in Queensland, recently tendered and designed a standalone power system for the Woodford Waste Transfer Station. The Woodford Waste facility is a newly constructed landfill site in a remote area of the Moreton Bay Council region. 

Given the site’s estimated 40 kWh energy requirement per day, the design brief consisted of three key priorities:

1. Minimum of 60 kWh of battery storage
2. 30kW solar array
3. Three-phase energy system

The above system would supply power to the entire facility, including the gatehouse lighting, weighbridge, boom gate, rainwater and sewer pumps, air conditioning unit, and other appliances in the site office. The system is required to provide power 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, so a robust, oversized system that could supply 2-3 days of autonomy was required. 

As the facility didn’t have any viable roof space for a large solar energy system, a ground-mount system was designed. A ground-mount system posed significant challenges as it had to be installed on capping over landfill. Springers Solar worked closely with Brisbane City Council engineers, Surefoot engineers, and Clenergy specialists to design a robust footing system for the solar panel installation. 

The selected Surefoot system minimises impact on the underground landfill yet remains strong enough to bear the weight of the solar panels and wind loading in the area. A 36.9 kW solar array was installed, comprising 84 Trina Vertex S+ Dual Glass N-Type modules. The panels were installed on a 30-degree north-facing tilt to capture the most amount of sunlight every day. 

The batteries and solar controllers are housed in a shipping container located within the facility. To keep the components from overheating in the container, the team installed an air conditioner to keep the system cool in the height of summer. The system was required to meet the daily load of the facility and also provide two days of autonomy, should inclement weather affect the solar array’s yield. 

As such, the Springers Solar team designed and installed the following components:

• 60kWh battery storage (x12 BYD LV Flex 5kWh)
• Batteries housed in BYD cabinets
• X3 Victron SmartSolar MPPT RS 450/200
• X1 Victron SmartSolar MPPT RS 450/100
• X3 Victron Multiplus-II 48/10000/140-100/100 
• Victron Ekrano GX for monitoring
• Victron Blue Smart IP65 Charger 12/5
• Yanmar Himoinsa HSY 30 M5 30KVA Generator

This system is capable of delivering three days of autonomy before requiring the generator, exceeding the expectation from the initial brief.