Source
doi:10.3390/en13153970 — original publication (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Superseded — do not cite
Summary
This compiled research note synthesises key findings and data from Mohseni, Brent & Burmester (2020) — the only known peer-reviewed techno-economic study of a New Zealand intentional community energy system. The case study is Totarabank Eco-Village (Whanganui region, NZ; 14 inhabitants; permaculture design; existing grid-tied solar PV + battery), where HOMER Pro optimisation was used to model capacity expansion under resilience and EV-charging scenarios. LCOE benchmarks (NZD 0.19–0.27/kWh) are sourced from a related 2021 follow-up paper and must be used with explicit caveats. The note also maps a four-paper Mohseni/Brent NZ community microgrid research series covering Totarabank, Stewart Island, Ohakune, and Great Barrier Island.
Key claims
- Totarabank Eco-Village: 14 inhabitants (May 2020), Whanganui region, NZ; permaculture design principles; existing grid-tied solar PV + battery system; no wind turbine. CR_007
- Study type: capacity expansion planning model — real-world empirical load data from Totarabank as HOMER Pro inputs; optimisation-based scenario analysis of future configurations under BAU demand growth and EV charging uptake scenarios. CR_007
- Primary economic metric: life-cycle profitability under NZ$0.08/kWh feed-in tariff at time of study. Finding: marginal at that tariff rate; economics improve with higher renewable penetration, demand response, and EV charging integration. CR_007
- LCOE benchmarks (from related 2021 follow-up by same group — RT_081): NZD 0.19/kWh (optimised baseline), NZD 0.22/kWh (intermediate), NZD 0.27/kWh (higher-resilience configuration). NZ retail electricity in 2020: ~NZD 0.28–0.32/kWh — the optimised LCOE range is broadly competitive with, or slightly below, retail price. CR_007
- Four caveats: (1) grid-tied, not off-grid; (2) 14 inhabitants — very small scale; (3) 2020 vintage — battery/solar costs have fallen ~20–40% globally since then; (4) LCOE from related 2021 paper, not the 2020 primary abstract. CR_007
- Mohseni/Brent NZ community microgrid series: Totarabank 2020 [DOI:10.3390/en13153970], Stewart Island 2021 off-grid multi-carrier [DOI:10.3390/en14206522], Ohakune 2021 demand response [DOI:10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116563], Great Barrier Island 2022 off-grid + EV — the most comprehensive peer-reviewed NZ community energy dataset. CR_007
Neobiome Intelligence relevance
- D01 Renewable Energy & Storage — Totarabank is the only NZ intentional community with a peer-reviewed HOMER Pro techno-economic analysis; LCOE NZD 0.19–0.27/kWh provides the first NZ community-scale solar PV + battery cost benchmark. Use with stated caveats; primary paper retrieval is RT_080.
- I01 Financial & Economic Sufficiency — community-owned renewable generation at NZD 0.19–0.27/kWh is at or below NZ retail electricity (NZD 0.28–0.32/kWh in 2020); validates financial case for community energy independence.
- I06 Resistance to External Shocks — study explicitly frames microgrid expansion as resilience-oriented; formally quantifies the resilience–whole-life-cost trade-off.
- I07 Fulfilment of Basic Needs — NZ community-scale energy provisioning cost reference: NZD 0.19–0.27/kWh at 14-inhabitant scale; requires scaling adjustment for a 50+ household community.
Research targets
Documents to retrieve
- RT_080 — Mohseni et al. (2020) Energies primary paper — open access MDPI; retrieve full PDF for tabular system data (Sections 4–5); should be ingested as LIT_NNN superseding CR_007.
- RT_081 — Mohseni, Brent, Burmester & Browne (2021) Energy AI — source of LCOE figures (NZD 0.19–0.27/kWh); retrieve to verify and confirm citation context.
- RT_082 — Mohseni et al. (2021) Energies 14:6522 — Stewart Island off-grid multi-carrier microgrid; directly relevant if Neobiome targets off-grid design.
Connections
Links to
Sources (1): LIT_032
Referenced by