Rolls-Royce Supplies Batteries For Rarotonga Microgrid

Rolls-Royce has been awarded a contract to supply three 40 ft. MTU-brand battery containers for a microgrid on the Pacific island of Rarotonga. The MTU EnergyPacks will be integrated by Vector Powersmart, an energy solutions provider in New Zealand, into an existing power plant run by the local utility Te Aponga Uira.

With a storage capacity of 4268 kWh and a power output of 4800 kVA in total, they will serve as a power reserve, grid support and enable the increased use of renewable energy. The microgrid, which supplies the approximately 11,000 inhabitants of the remote Cook Island with electricity, consists of photovoltaic systems, diesel generators and battery containers. The archipelago has set itself the goal of covering its energy needs completely from renewable energies in the near future, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Vector Powersmart has previously chosen Rolls-Royce storage solutions for two other microgrid projects. On the Cook Island of Aitutaki, a 20 ft. battery container has been controlling the microgrid there since 2019, storing energy from various sources and making it available in order to achieve the highest possible efficiency, grid stability and CO2 savings. At a vacation resort in Glenorchy, New Zealand, a 130 kVA battery container stores the excess power from the photovoltaic systems during the day and provides it at night and as emergency power.