Microgrid Tibooburra

Welcome to Tibooburra microgrid engagement portal and thank you for taking part.

Your community has been chosen as part of the microgrid project, exploring options to manage power reliability better in the future.

A microgrid is emerging as a potential solution to help build a more resilient and sustainable energy future for regional, rural and remote communities. Microgrids can be islandable and operate independently from the main electricity grid during planned or unplanned outages using local energy generation and battery storage, coupled with a microgrid control system.

The project is being rolled out in stages. We will be updating this portal with the current stage information as we progress through the project. We encourage you to get involved in the discussion by asking questions, taking part in short polls, and providing honest feedback through surveys.

Welcome to Tibooburra microgrid engagement portal and thank you for taking part.

Your community has been chosen as part of the microgrid project, exploring options to manage power reliability better in the future.

A microgrid is emerging as a potential solution to help build a more resilient and sustainable energy future for regional, rural and remote communities. Microgrids can be islandable and operate independently from the main electricity grid during planned or unplanned outages using local energy generation and battery storage, coupled with a microgrid control system.

The project is being rolled out in stages. We will be updating this portal with the current stage information as we progress through the project. We encourage you to get involved in the discussion by asking questions, taking part in short polls, and providing honest feedback through surveys.

  • Smart Energy Communities trial completed

    Over the past two years, we have worked closely with the communities of Ivanhoe, Tibooburra and Tea Gardens as part of the Smart Energy Communities trial. Our aim was to collect and provide valuable energy usage data and insights. So, we hope like us, you have gained a deeper understanding of the emerging needs and options for affordable and reliable electricity supply and services.

    We are pleased to inform you that the Smart Energy Communities trial has now come to an end. Throughout we meticulously assessed each stage, gaining significant learnings and insights. This will help us in planning for future energy services and ensuring a safe and reliable power supply for all our customers.

    We are now moving to the next stage of planning to improve reliability and resilience in Tibooburra. The temporary generator on King Street has been completed and is capable of providing backup power to the township. Our future plans involve delivering a microgrid to enhance power supply reliability, with preliminary design and investigations already underway since early 2025.

    Thank you for your participation and support in this important initiative. Your involvement has been crucial in helping us achieve these milestones. We hope you will continue your journey with us as we trial new approaches and adapt to the evolving energy landscape.

    Keep an eye on our website for further updates: https://www.essentialenergy.com.au/our-network/future-energy.

  • Tibooburra Community Information Session

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    In June earlier this year, we visited Tibooburra to talk to you about our plans to build a microgrid with battery and solar technology. As part of the works, we are exploring several options around the solar component and would like to share our current thinking with you. We invite you to come and meet the Essential Energy team on Tuesday 12 November 2024 to hear more about our latest thinking.

  • Our June 2024 visit to Tibooburra to talk about the microgrid

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    We’d like to thank you for the warm welcome we received when we visited in late June. We were overwhelmed with the knowledge, information and enthusiasm that you shared with us about the solar and battery microgrid project. Please have a look at the attached update to learn more about what we are up to.

  • Tibooburra Community Information Session (Microgrid)

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    We’re working hard to deliver safe, reliable, and resilient power to Tibooburra. To do this, we’re implementing a microgrid with battery and solar technology. There’s much to undertake to deliver a project of this scale and we’d like to talk with the Tibooburra community to share with you everything we have planned for the next 12-18 months, including proposed alterations to King Street. We invite you to come and meet the Essential Energy team on Wednesday 25 June 2024 to learn more.

  • Meat Raffles at the CWA Christmas Tree Party

    The Smart Energy Community Trial team would like to wish the Tibooburra community a very Merry Christmas and here's to an amazing New Year!

    We are providing the raffle meat trays for the CWA Christmas Tree Party on Friday 15 December so support a good cause and hopefully come away with a meat tray!

    Some of you may remember us coming up to Tibooburra in early September we were very appreciative of the warm welcome we received, we are planning to come back mid next year to talk more about how the trial can benefit everyone in your community!

    Watch this space!

    Stay safe and see you soon.

    The Smart Energy Community Trial team

  • Smart Energy Community Trial visit to Tibooburra

    We would like to thank the community for the warm welcome we received when we visited in September 2023 to launch the trial.

    The people we met and the conversations we had were very valuable and will assist us in planning future visits, whilst providing us with a better understanding of the energy concerns of the community.

    Please take a moment to read the information flyer we gave out whilst we were in town. Let us know your thoughts on the Community Chat section of this website or if you have a question post it to the Ask Essential section.

    If you missed us while we were in town you can read about it here.

  • Your Wattwatchers energy app looks different.

    Exciting News! You may have noticed your Wattwatchers app looks different.

    Wattwatchers released version 2.0.0 of the My Energy app which includes the new Flow feature (the new app home screen).

    'Flow' will provide more insights to your power usage, please click and read the documentation for more information and support if needed.

    Share your thoughts about the new look on the Wattwatchers devices chat in the Community Chat section of this website.

  • Smart Energy Communities Trial Launch

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    In September Essential Energy will launch the Smart Energy Communities Program in Tibooburra. Please join us for a BBQ and drive-in movie on Tuesday 5th September 2023 at 6pm. Our Smart Energy Communities program team will also be available to outline the Smart Energy Communities trial and what is means for Tibooburra on Wednesday 6th September 2023 between 9.30 and 11.30am at the Progress Hall. Our supply partner Wattwatchers will also be on hand to show you what information the recently installed Wattwatchers devices (installed in 50 homes/business in Tibooburra between May and June) can give you and how we are using them in the trial.

Page last updated: 12 Jun 2025, 10:10 AM