Solar power transforms tiny, off-grid community

Solar panels transformed
a small off-grid community.

Graeme Smith was mulling over a long-standing problem at the end of 2015: how to provide affordable power to his tiny, off-grid community.

Despite having freehold title to 170 square kilometres of land east of Tennant Creek and plenty of money in the bank, members of the Munungurra Aboriginal Corporation could not afford to live on their country.

The cost of providing power to such a remote location prevented them building an economy on their land.

"We originally had no power and no water, because we're not on a grid. We put houses on it, we put generators on it. But still that wasn't enough," said Mr Smith, the corporation's chief executive.

The corporation paid for two diesel generators to run power to two small communities, where two out of eight houses were permanently occupied.

"Whilst it gave people reliable power with two houses pulling off a generator, we'd be going through $600 to $700 a week in diesel," he said.

Read the ABC story - “Remote community transformed after swapping diesel generator for solar panels.”