Alternergy Holdings Corp. and its subsidiary Solar Pacific Energy Corporation have inaugurated Palau's first solar PV + battery energy storage system (BESS) project, marking a significant milestone in the region.
The Palau Solar Battery Project will be the largest such project in the Western Pacific. It will lessen Palau’s imported fuel dependency, a major step towards its ambitious goal of 100%.
Solar electricity will be produced by a hybrid 15.3 MWdc (13.2 MWac) solar photovoltaic (PV) plus 10.2 MWac/12.9 MWh battery energy storage system facility. Extensive safeguards to protect Palau’s pristine environment SPEC did not leave any stone unturned to protect the pristine Palau ecosystem.
As a small island developing state, the Republic of Palau sought to wean itself off its dependence on fossil fuel for power, which accounts for 99.7% of the country’s power generation. To address this issue, Palau invited Solar Pacific Energy Corporation (SPEC), Alternergy’s solar developer, to develop a clean, renewable energy source.
“The project provided employment to about 300 people during construction,” he said. The Palau Solar PV + BESS project, with a capacity of 15.3 MWp solar PV and 12.9 MWh BESS, is one of the biggest foreign direct investments in the country with a total project cost of USD29 million.
The project, which is also Palau’s first grid-scale solar PV plant, will contribute significantly to the country’s nationally self-determined contribution to meeting global climate targets as agreed in the Paris Accord. These include reaching 35% renewable energy, and reducing energy sector emissions to 22% below 2005 levels, by 2025.