Lumea

 

In FY22, Lumea continued to build new and creative pathways to reach Australia’s renewable energy objectives.

 

Smoothing the transition to renewables

As more renewable energy enters the grid, the power system faces new challenges, including increased capacity. During the year, Lumea collaborated with Octopus Investments and AEMO to develop a unique solution to safely increase the capacity for power flow on the transmission line that forms the backbone of the power system in South West NSW.

 

The Darlington Point to Wagga Wagga line, has been under increasing capacity pressure as a result of new generation projects. Now, the solution, which uses smart relays and circuit breakers, allows more energy to flow safely through the system. This important change reverses the limit on output of local power generators, while ensuring the region remains protected from widespread disruption due to a potential outage.

 

Connecting NSW’s largest wind farm

Rye Park Wind Farm, which is being developed by the combined Tilt Renewables and Powering Australian Renewables (PowAR) business, will be the largest wind farm in NSW, producing enough energy to power approximately 215,000 homes per year.

 

During the year, Lumea was appointed to build, own and operate the connection infrastructure required to connect the wind farm to the National Energy Market for the life of the project. Rye Park is one of the first wind farms to reach financial close in 2021, and is expected to reach commercial operations in 2024, as many coal-fired stations are scheduled to close.

 

The year saw Lumea make strides towards a future with greater electrification, battery energy storage and digital connectivity.

 

Leichhardt electric bus pilot

During the year, in a joint venture with Zenobe Energy, we continued to facilitate the penetration of electric vehicles by collaborating with Transit Systems and the NSW Government to transform the Leichardt bus depot into a next-generation electric bus depot.

 

Launched in October 2021, the $40 million project, integrates 40 electric buses, chargers,solar generation, and batteries with the electric grid. Leichardt now has the  largest single fleet of electric buses in Australia – with an additional 15 buses planned for delivery later this year. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation provided strong support for this pilot, which will share knowledge and performance data to support the roll-out of electric buses across Australia.

 

Energy Scaleup Program

For the second year running, The Transgrid Group participated in the EnergyLabs Scaleup Program, where we meet and workshop with energy tech start-ups. This year, Lumea’s focus was on exploring new technologies, such as Amber Kinetic’s kinetic energy storage system.

 

Integrated solutions for data centres

As the energy system transition continues, integrated solutions will combine connections, energy storage and local renewable generation to deliver semi-isolated power to customer sites or precincts like data centres. During the year, Lumea began developing a pilot for a data centre solution that optimises on-site renewable energy assets.

 

Lumea’s Telecommunications business revenue comprises of 50 per cent data services and 50 per cent colocation revenue from some 37,000 towers. As the energy and telecommunications sectors converge, we are helping to fill out mobile black spots while also supporting the energy transition.

 

Extending our network

Lumea’s vast fibre network is set to be extended further into Queensland, building on the existing routes through NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

 

The extension of reach into Queensland creates unique capabilities across the eastern seaboard. Lumea will be able to provide businesses and communities with high speed (Wavelength) connectivity services. We will also further enhance our network of data centres, which connects key data centres, such as Leading Edge Data Centres, NextDC and Equinix, to provide large organisations with their own data security and connectivity assurances.

 

Helping to bridge the digital divide

Lumea is working with the NSW Government and local regional councils to deliver enabling infrastructure and provide services that rival metropolitan capabilities. Lumea deployed the first high-speed fibre network in the Parkes Shire as part of NSW’s first Special Activation Precinct (SAP). In FY22, Lumea was appointed as the Parkes Shire Council telecommunications partner, providing secure, scalable and high-speed Lumea Carrier Ethernet and Lumea Business Internet along Brolgan Road, where the SAP is located.

 

Businesses along the path will benefit from full fibre drop-off flexibility, and connectivity up to 10Gbps or higher, giving them access to speeds and performance that rival metropolitan centres. This new digital connectivity for Parkes will help accelerate the economic growth in the region and is an important step in the NSW Government’s 20 Year Economic Vision for Regional NSW released in 2018.

 

Optimising wireless colocation services with AI digital twin technology

Lumea’s Telecommunications Wireless Colo customers benefited from world-first technology led by Lumea with LeBlanc and SiteSee. Site Discovery is a digital twin platform accessible through a self–service portal that will streamline applications, inspection and maintenance activities.

 

The proprietary platform will enable customers to virtually scope sites in 3D, instantly deliver accurate ‘As-Surveyed’ information and inventory comparison reports with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle mapping. Customers will no longer need to physically inspect sites to apply or manage their equipment on leased sites, instead they will be able to virtually add and remove their equipment. Doing so will instantly convert to an application to colocate, saving time on both site visits and detailed desktop analysis. The first phase of the project has been delivered, allowing users to view 3D renders of their sites in real time. The full suite will be available to customers in late 2022.