Synertec Corporation Ltd (ASX:SOP) has successfully integrated its renewable energy solution Powerhouse at Santos Ltd's gas well site in remote central Queensland following the completion of extensive site acceptance testing (SAT).
Santos is now monitoring the real-time performance of the unique proprietary solution that allows the utilisation of renewable energy to power industrial applications in remote locations.
Powerhouse in operation during site acceptance testing.
Under SAT, the average Powerhouse load has been above site requirements, with peak loads in excess of 10 times typical loads achieved while delivering continuous reliable power supply.
Some of the key results of the testing include:
- Average load under testing in the range of 20-50% above site requirement.
- Prediction accuracy of solar irradiance and available energy has been proven to be within 5% of actual performance.
- Battery performance has been within Synertec’s expectations and the supplier’s operating recommendations, indicating long and reliable battery life as highly achievable.
- Other key Synertec modelling has been proven to be within 5-10% of actual performance.
“The performance of the units through an extensive SAT program in remote Queensland has delivered operational performance, which exceeded site requirements and proves the accuracy of our modelling and the strength of the artificial intelligence of the system.”
Field trial
Synertec and Santos have agreed to the cutover of the system to the gas wells this month given the positive performance of Powerhouse.
The actual timeframe for the cutover is still being discussed as Santos is reprioritising operational resources.
The field trial is the final stage of the testing and verification process for Powerhouse.
Upon successful field trialling, commercial production of the Powerhouse units will commence, with a staged rollout across selected Santos’ brownfield sites to replace fossil-fuelled generators.
“We are progressing Powerhouse to the final stage this month, and we will continue to update the market on the development and further commercialisation of our unique technology,” Carroll added.
Commercial arrangement
Synertec entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the utilisation of the Powerhouse system for coal seam gas (CSG) well de-watering with Santos in August last year.
The MoU commenced on July 31 and was effective for 12 months.
Synertec and Santos have progressed from the MoU to a commercial agreement in the form of an overarching goods and services contract and a work order for the installation and field testing of the Powerhouse prototype.
Assuming success in the final field trial phase, the parties are now working together to develop a business plan and commercial arrangement for the supply, maintenance and operation of Powerhouse by Synertec to Santos.
“We see a significant local and global addressable market for Powerhouse, where remote locations operating industrial equipment can benefit from stable continuous base load 100% renewable power supply.
“As the world transitions to a carbon-free future, technologies such as Powerhouse will enable our customers to achieve their decarbonisation goals,” Carroll concluded.