Sick of power outages, this remote Indigenous town is planning to build its own renewable grid

Djarindjin in north-west Western Australia is planning to meet 80% of its energy needs from solar and battery storage. Photograph: Supplied

After community members started installing solar panels on street lights around Djarindjin in remote north-west Australia last year, local leader Nathan McIvor says they began to see the possibilities of taking ownership of their own electricity generation.

Now, this community 200km north of Broome and home to nearly 400 Bardi and Jawi people, is planning to install a multimillion-dollar solar and battery farm that would generate enough renewable energy to meet 80% of their power needs, reducing reliance on government-owned diesel generators.