Bushlight is an initiative of the Australian federal government that aims to support life and livelihood opportunities for remote indigenous communities in the north and west of the country.

There are over 1 200 remote indigenous communities throughout Australia, many of which are not connected to electricity grids. Bushlight focuses on establishing and supporting sustainable – i.e. affordable, consistent and reliable – renewable energy services; a tremendous challenge given the remote and harsh outback environment and limited technical and financial capacity of many aboriginal communities.

Central to the success of the project is the energy planning process which involves the entire community and helps give an understanding of how energy is used for lighting, refrigeration, cooking and other services. Families agree to a household energy budget which is used as the basis for system sizing. The community involvement also extends to budget planning and establishing agreements for future system service and maintenance, and battery replacements. These service costs are typically financed from savings in diesel purchases which the RE systems displace.

Hardware development has also been fundamental to the project. Systems are designed to withstand extremes of temperature as well as the ravages of insects, tropical rainstorms and, in some areas, cyclones. The systems also incorporate intuitive controls and energy management features to help users monitor their energy use, and if necessary force disconnect of non-essential circuits until batteries are recharged or a generator is switched on.

Information

• Grant Behrendorff
  E-mail: enquiries@bushlight.org.au
  Internet: www.bushlight.org.au

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