Australia: Caltex looks to the sun in “world-first” fuel station

Caltex Australia has built “the world's first” fully transportable solar-powered fuel retailing outlets, used to distribute fuel in remote parts of the country.

According to the company, supplying 24-hour access to diesel in remote parts of Western Australia’s Pilbara region has become much more feasible with the construction of these solar-powered outlets.

Caltex Australia’s sites at Tom Price and Onslow, both more than 1300km from Perth, are not connected to mains power, instead relying on the abundant solar energy of the region and on-site battery storage technology.

“The obstacle is powering the pumps so the fuel can get into the customer’s tank – it’s very expensive and inefficient to run a generator when there are only a handful of customers every day,” said Leon Calvetti, Caltex Network Development Manager for Western Australia

The Australian company is pioneering the environmentally-friendly initiative to further extend the reach of its National Truck Network – the largest truck refuelling network in Australia, comprising 200 dedicated truck stops and 300 truck-friendly sites across the country.

“By creating what we believe are the world’s first fully solar-powered fuel facilities, we can efficiently provide diesel in some of the most remote locations of Australia,” added Calvetti.