Lynden Aged Care

Description

Lynden Aged Care has been an Optimal Group customer for more than a decade, with two Capstone C65 microturbines installed for combined heat and power as part of an earlier site expansion. The turbines ran well, but rising natural gas prices gradually eroded the financial case for cogeneration, and they were eventually mothballed. A 99-kW rooftop solar array was later added to the site.

The driver for this new project was power security. An extended grid outage at a residential aged care facility can force residents to be relocated offsite, which is disruptive for people who depend on continuous care and difficult for staff to manage. Lynden came back to Optimal to investigate how that risk could be removed.

Optimal carried out a paid design study to compare an expanded solar and battery energy storage system against a conventional diesel backup generator. The battery and solar option cost more upfront, but it returned value every day rather than sitting idle, with an estimated internal rate of return of 13 per cent over the 20-year life cycle, more than 1,300 tonnes of CO2 avoided over the first ten years, and far lower noise and environmental impact in a residential setting.

Lynden selected that option and awarded the project to Optimal in March 2026.

The system being installed comprises three Delta All-in-One (AiO) battery energy storage units, providing 375 kVA of power capacity and 750 kWh of usable storage, together with a 300-kW solar PV array added to the existing 99 kW system. The two existing Capstone microturbines are being reconfigured as range extenders for the BESS so the site can run off-grid for extended periods rather than being limited by stored energy alone. Optimal's PowerPilot microgrid controller ties the system together, automating the switch between grid-connected and off-grid operation during a network fault, dispatching the microturbines during a prolonged outage, synchronising the existing solar array with the battery and turbines while islanded, and starting the turbines periodically to keep them maintained. The scope also includes a new BESS switchboard, an isolation transformer, replacement of the main distribution board, and trenching and cabling to integrate the battery into the site.

Through 2026, the project has progressed through detailed design, procurement and early site works, including solar design, safety documentation, civil and structural planning, switchboard design, etc. By August, the Delta battery units had completed manufacturing milestones and rooftop solar installation had begun, with works continuing through September while Optimal coordinates access, deliveries and construction activity around the daily operation of the aged care facility.

Once the system is operational, Lynden is expected to see grid-supplied energy fall by around 45 per cent from the first year, with the facility able to run entirely off-grid for most of the year. The system is modular, so additional battery capacity can be added as the site's needs change.