In November 2015, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House), citing Cogeneration magazine, reported that Rottnest Island off Western Australia was building a solar supply for its residents and its desalination plant. The WREN project, worth A$ 7.3 million, about US$ 5.3 million,, added 600 kW of photovoltaics plus a control system that shifted desalination into periods of high renewable output, alongside existing diesel generators and a wind turbine. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency pledged as much as A$ 4.8 million, with completion planned for May 2017.
The report showed how island grids used desalination as a controllable load to replace costly diesel power with solar energy.