A feasibility study is the essential first step for any community considering renewable energy. It gives your community a professional, independent assessment of what solar and battery systems would look like at your location — and it becomes the key document you need to access the larger construction funding that actually builds the system.
What the study covers
A comprehensive feasibility study for a remote Kimberley community typically includes the following components, each tailored to your specific location and circumstances:
- Solar resource assessment — confirming the solar energy available at your location using Bureau of Meteorology data and the ARENA Solar Atlas. The Kimberley receives approximately 5.5 to 6.0 peak sun hours per day, among the highest in Australia.
- Community energy audit — mapping your community's electricity consumption patterns, costs, critical loads (health clinic, school, water infrastructure, medical equipment households) and historical outage frequency using 12 months of Horizon Power meter data.
- Site assessment — on-the-ground inspection of existing grid infrastructure, identification of land suitable for solar installation, rooftop assessment, and documentation of heritage and access considerations.
- Renewable energy options modelling — technical and financial assessment of multiple scenarios, typically including rooftop solar, utility-scale microgrid, and hybrid systems. Each scenario is modelled for capital cost, annual generation, household bill savings and payback period.
- Ownership and governance options — analysis of who could own the system and what that means for the community: utility ownership (Horizon Power), community ownership, or a partnership model. Includes assessment of power purchase agreements, community benefit structures and cooperative models.
- Community engagement — three structured community meetings under FPIC principles, ensuring community members understand the options and make an informed collective decision about their preferred pathway.
What your community receives
At the end of the study, your community corporation receives a comprehensive written report in plain English with visual aids, maps and cost tables, accompanied by a one-page executive summary. The report is formally presented at a community meeting and becomes the permanent property of your community corporation.
Critically, the completed report is what construction funders require. Whether your community applies to Horizon Power's ReGen program, future ARENA funding rounds, or the WA Clean Energy Future Fund, the feasibility study is the evidence of project readiness that unlocks access to the multi-million-dollar programs that actually build solar and battery systems.
How it is funded
The Australian Government's First Nations Clean Energy Advice Grants program funds feasibility studies at no cost to the community. Grants of up to $80,000 are available, paid 100% upfront. The program is demand-driven and first-come-first-served — applications are assessed on eligibility, not on competitive merit.
Kimberley Energy Corporation manages the grant application process on behalf of partner communities, drawing on specialist knowledge of the program guidelines and assessment criteria. The community corporation is the applicant and grantee; KEC is engaged as the consultant that delivers the study.
The study is the bridge
Without a feasibility study, communities cannot demonstrate the project readiness that construction funders require. The study does not commit your community to building anything — it gives you the information and the evidence base to make that decision on your own terms, and to access the funding if you choose to proceed. Contact Kimberley Energy Corporation to discuss what a feasibility study would look like for your community.