The trial is seen as groundbreaking and a potential blueprint for energy systems around Australia.
On a cloudless and warm day like so many others during Australia's northern dry season, the power station at Onslow fell eerily quiet.
It was late June and the electricity system servicing the small town, 1,300 kilometres north of Perth, had just undergone a remarkable transformation.
For the first time, Onslow's power demand was being met entirely from the energy generated by the sun.
The fleet of heavy and noisy gas-fired turbines that were the mainstay of Onslow's needs had been switched off.
In something of a eureka moment for energy watchers, solar backed by large-scale batteries successfully ran an electricity network for 80 minutes.
But that it had not been achieved until this year, and could not stay up for longer, highlighted the difficulties of going 100 per cent renewable, energy watchers said.
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