Case study: cutting diesel by 68% on a Pacific island grid
The challenge
A Pacific island utility was spending more than 60% of revenue on imported diesel.
A 12 MW hybrid system replaced ageing diesel sets and slashed fuel imports while improving SAIDI scores.
We share the design choices, control philosophy and lessons learned.
The challenge
A Pacific island utility was spending more than 60% of revenue on imported diesel.
The solution
We delivered a 6 MW solar PV array, 8 MWh of battery storage and four hydrogen-ready gas engines under a single grid-forming controller.
- Diesel consumption cut by 68%
- SAIDI improved from 18 to 4 hours
- Customer tariffs reduced 22%
- Engines online for less than 35% of operating hours
Lessons learned
Grid-forming inverters were the key enabler — they let the engines stop entirely on sunny days without compromising frequency stability.
- Diesel consumption cut by 68%
- SAIDI improved from 18 to 4 hours
- Customer tariffs reduced 22%
- Engines online for less than 35% of operating hours