A regional hotel in Bowral is set to trial a new community energy model combining rooftop solar, battery storage and artificial intelligence, as part of a $4 million project led by UNSW Sydney.
UNSW researchers are partnering with JT Solar Technology Pty Ltd and hospitality operator The Gibraltar Bowral to pilot a community power plant (CPP), with support from the Australian Government through the Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) Lab to Market Fund.
According to UNSW, the CPP differs from a typical virtual power plant (VPP) by balancing the interests of the energy user, battery owner and electricity grid, with surplus energy intended to be shared with nearby homes and businesses.
The Gibraltar Bowral has a newly installed 290kW rooftop solar system comprising 612 panels and a 200kWh battery, funded by JT Solar Technology. The project also includes plans for additional solar capacity and a 500kWh community battery.
UNSW said the combined infrastructure is intended to meet the hotel’s energy requirements, maintain essential loads during grid disruptions and extreme weather, and distribute surplus clean energy to the surrounding community.
The system will be coordinated by an artificial intelligence-based energy management system developed by UNSW researchers Associate Professor Huadong Mo and Dr Ripon Chakrabortty. The large language model-based system will consider factors including electricity prices, energy demand, grid requirements and battery state of charge and health when managing the system.
“From an ownership perspective, this is a good example of smart capital allocation by investing in infrastructure that reduces operating costs, improves the resilience and sustainability of the asset, and ultimately benefits both our guests and the local community,” said Andrew Lau, Executive General Manager of the Mariposa Group representing the owners of The Gibraltar Bowral.
A/Prof. Mo said the project would test whether technology developed through earlier work in Sydney apartment complexes could be adapted to a regional setting.
“We’re excited to take what we started with JT Solar Technology in Sydney’s apartment complexes into a completely different setting,” he said. “A regional hotel serving as an energy hub and its surrounding community place very different demands on the grid.”
JT Solar Technology is leading the deployment of the solar, community battery and VPP infrastructure, working with Aussie Hybrid Solar, Sungrow and LONGi. The Gibraltar Bowral is providing its infrastructure and integrating the system into hotel operations.
“Taking it from Sydney’s apartments into a regional setting like Bowral is exactly the kind of real-world validation that gives us the confidence to scale up the technology,” said Jason (Jiangang) Xiao, Director of JT Solar Technology.
The first implementation of the CPP is scheduled to begin at the site this month. UNSW said the project will provide an opportunity to test and refine the model in a real-world setting and, if successful, could provide a template for other regional communities and hospitality operators.
