From Diesel Dependence to Energy Resilience: Stage 3 Completed at Christian Leaders Training College PNG

The Christian Leaders Training College, located in the highlands of Papua New Guinea just an hour from Mt Hagen, has completed the next major phase of its renewable energy journey. With unreliable grid supply and costly diesel generation long affecting daily operations, the College continues its commitment to securing a stable, affordable and sustainable power future for its campus.

This month marks the completion of Stage 3 of the Solar Energy Project - an expansion of the Tesvolt battery energy storage system (BESS) supplied by Unlimited Energy Australia / Tesvolt Australia.

A Three-Stage Journey Toward Energy Independence

The College launched its Solar Energy Project in response to years of power instability. Frequent grid outages, damaging voltage fluctuations and high diesel consumption created a significant operational burden for an institution committed to high-quality theological education.

Stage 1 Solar Generation (Completed 2019)

The first milestone was the installation of 280 solar panels in 2019, growing to more than 1000 panels as the campus embraced solar as its primary energy source.

Stage 2 Battery Storage: Tesvolt TS I HV 80 (Completed)

Stage 2 delivered the College’s first major battery system -a TS I HV 80 160kW/160kWh Tesvolt installation featuring:

• Tesvolt 160kWh (20 x 8.0kWh) 1C HV1500 battery modules

• Integrated Tesvolt PCS Industry inverter

• Pre-wired Tesvolt backup control system

The system immediately stabilised campus power and reduced reliance on diesel generation.

Stage 3 Expanded Battery System (Now Completed)

With energy demand rising and solar generation exceeding previous storage capacity, Stage 3 expands the battery system with an additional 160kWh TS I HV 80 installation.

Now commissioned the total system capacity reaches 160kW / 320kWh Total Battery Energy Storage (BESS)

This expanded system enhances the College’s ability to:

• Generator use reduced from 13 hours/day to 6 hours/week

• Maximise solar self consumption

• Maintain  reliable power for all campus facilities

• 07.00 to 20.00 or 22.00 daily depending on cloud cover

• Optimise hybrid PV diesel performance

• Support off-grid and remote power security

• Increase resilience against grid instability

The Tesvolt system remains one of the safest, longest life commercial storage technologies available, with a design life of 20 years and advanced energy management capability.

A Major Step Toward a Fully Renewable Campus

With Stage 3 now complete, the College has continued towards its long term vision of a fully sustainable, low cost and dependable renewable energy system. This project continues to stand as a model for how educational institutions across PNG can leverage world class renewable technology to overcome remote area energy challenges.