Desert Knowledge Australia

Workshops and meetings like the reinforce the reasons why the Precinct was established.

A safe place for important conversations and learning that leads to better understanding, more targetted actions and lays strong foundations for lasting impact.

Alice Springs as a testing ground for solar powered quadcopters.

Congratulations to the NUS College of Design and Engineering team for reaching the 4-hr milestone.

DKA is happy to have played a role in connecting the researchers to local people and sites.

Story - https://cde.nus.edu.sg/news/solar-powered-drone-flies-past-four-hour-mark-in-endurance-milestone/

Video - https://youtu.be/Qbs-DGePqXU?si=NlsaGJedoJLTr3M_

Solar-powered drone flies past four-hour mark in endurance milestone - College of Design and Engineering CDE team achieves four-hour 25-minute battery-free drone flight during test in Australia, surpassing current official record for multirotor drones.

Did you know that the world's largest longitudinal dataset for power has been produced in Alice Springs?

And it is growing everyday.

First opened in 2008, the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre (DKASC) is the largest multi-technology demonstration solar facility in the southern hemisphere.

www.dkasolarcentre.com.au

Established as a solar technology demonstration facility with initial funding from Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the DKASC site has grown over the years to hosting up to 40 installations.

The site produces power for the Desert Knowledge Precinct contributing to just under 50% of the electricity needs.

The installation of a battery in 2023 as part of the Alice Springs Future Grid has provided a working example of a microgrid and valuable insights for further deployment.

The DKASC has been collecting data on the performance of the different solar technologies and meteorological data at 5min intervals, making them available for researchers and other interested parties for download on the website.

This data has been cited in more than 350 published papers and is growing monthly.

The DKASC is advancing global knowledge on photovoltaics, performance and forecasting from here in central Australia.

We're exploring possibilities and opportunities to sustain and grow this globally significant renewable energy research asset.

If you're keen to support please get in touch.
[email protected]
Subject: DKASC Support

Thanks to
Ekistica
Spinifex Valley
www.Azzo.com for maintaining and sustaining to date.

Good news for grid security in Alice Springs and the Darwin-Katherine Interconnector with the announcement of $82.1M investment in battery storage.
----
https://reneweconomy.com.au/nt-orders-another-two-big-batteries-to-back-solar-and-gas-after-success-of-first-project-in-darwin/

'This is about building a modern energy system for the future—one that is reliable, smarter, and more secure,”

“Battery storage is a key piece of that puzzle, helping us integrate more solar while keeping power affordable and reliable.

“These large-scale batteries are not just about keeping the lights on – it’s about powering our economy. By improving energy security, we’re creating the conditions for new industries and local jobs as part of our plan to rebuild the economy.”

Minister Steve Edgington MLA

----

It's worth noting the role long-term planning has played here. The Alice Springs Future Grid 2030 Roadmap — developed through collaboration and investments by Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Northern Territory Government and Australian Government from 2020-2023 — was designed to create exactly this kind of investment confidence.

While renewable energy targets are no longer the driver for investment in renewables in the NT electricity market, the physics and economics are.

https://alicespringsfuturegrid.com.au/knowledge-bank/alice-springs-roadmap-to-2030

Alice Springs Future Grid - Alice Springs Future Grid The Roadmap to 2030 is the product of three years of trials and research carried out by multiple project partners. It pulls together insights from the Alice Springs Future Grid sub-projects and lays out four pathways to achieving 50% renewable generation by 2030.

We're pleased to welcome the Indigenous Desert Alliance back to home to the Desert Knowledge Precinct.

Check out there most recent video about their work.

Keeping the desert connected.

https://www.indigenousdesertalliance.com/stories/keeping-the-desert-connected?fbclid=IwY2xjawQVp35leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFlaGhvcXo4OFNLNU9GNG16c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgf8USb7kTId9fsk2vtr1PPs_eDiYIvpyCGHP2Q6hNWJTg8RcCSKDzd-GOkn_aem__qfKkKYmPHSMhXA4jfDPPA

Indigenous Desert Alliance | Keeping the desert connected This video shares the story of our desert rangers – proud custodians continuing the world’s oldest living culture. With our knowledge, leadership, and cultural responsibility, we are protecting plants and animals, keeping culture strong, and burning Country the right way.

The NT Government has opened up the consultation period on the Alice Springs Water Allocation Plan 2026-36.
Submissions and comments can be made until March 17.

https://haveyoursay.nt.gov.au/draft-alice-springs-water-allocation-plan-2026-2036

The Water Allocation Plan and associated documents are a great way to learn more about the groundwater and aquifer system that keeps us all alive out here.

Draft Alice Springs water allocation plan 2026-2036 Water planning in the Northern Territory The Northern Territory Government is committed to managing water resources in a sustainable way for the long term. The Northern Territory Water Act 1992(External link) provides the legal framework for managing water through water

landholders in the Alice Springs Water Control District.
Have your say on the Eligible Land for Aboriginal Water Reserve survey open until March 17.

Designating Eligible Land for Aboriginal Water Reserve in Alice Springs water allocation plan 2026-2036 Aboriginal water reserves are a portion of water set aside in a water plan for the economic benefit of eligible Aboriginal land holders. Eligible landholders are listed in a water plan. Twelve land parcels have been identified for the Aboriginal Water Reserve in the

Last week, Alice Springs had a close call.

There was damage — roads are still cut, infrastructure impacted, and localised flooding in low‑lying areas. But in the scheme of things, we were fortunate. It could have been far worse.

More than anything, it was a wake‑up call.

Alice Springs sits on the floodplain of Lhere Mparntwe / the Todd River. For the first time since 2000, the river broke its banks. It peaked at 3.45m at 4:15am on Thursday 12 February — slightly higher than the 1983 flood and about half a metre below the 1988 1‑in‑50‑year event.

In desert and semi‑arid country, water doesn’t give way.
Dry creek beds and drainage lines can sit quiet for years — until they don’t. As happened last week, intense rainfall in the Todd and Charles River catchments can generate a literal wall of water moving downstream with extraordinary force. What looks like a harmless crossing with a “Floodway” sign can become impassable within minutes.

If you live here long enough, you learn this: in Central Australia, you don’t just live in the landscape — you live in a catchment area.

Having access to accurate, real‑time information during these events can be the difference between getting home safely, being stranded or bogged, becoming tomorrow’s headline — or worse.

This is not alarmism — it’s practical literacy.

The bigger picture matters too. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, increasing the likelihood of intense, high‑impact rainfall events. As recent conditions showed, concentrated upstream rainfall can drive rapid river rises downstream. The river height plots tell that story clearly.

Ten years ago, an integrated approach to flood planning, preparation and response for Alice Springs was recommended. Some work has been done; some clearly still needs to be.

Last week’s event gives us a live case study — and an opportunity to strengthen our preparedness across households, organisations and government.

At an individual level, it starts with understanding:
- where you sit in relation to the floodplain,
- which roads are vulnerable and cut first,
- where to find authoritative, real‑time information,
and how to make calm, timely decisions.

Below are the key information sources for Alice Springs and the Northern Central region — but the principle applies anywhere:

In an emergency

SecureNT – Alerts and Warnings
https://securent.nt.gov.au/alerts-warnings

Bureau of Meteorology – NT River Heights
https://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDD60022.html

Before travelling
NT Road Report – Interactive Road Map
https://roadreport.nt.gov.au/road-map

Bushtel – Remote community road and service updates
https://bushtel.nt.gov.au/

Understanding the local catchment
NT Government – Alice Springs Floodplain Mapping
https://nt.gov.au/environment/water/water-in-the-nt/flooding-and-storm-surge/floodplain

Alice Springs Flood Mitigation Advisory Committee Report
https://dli.nt.gov.au/media/docs/flood-mitigation/dlpe_floodmitigation_alicesprings_final_web.pdf

Floods in Central Australia are rare — but they are not anomalies.

They are part of how this country works.

Preparation is not about fear of these events, it is about developing competence and landscape literacy.

- Know your landscape and how it responds to rainfall.
- Know your information sources.
- Plan early.
- Be decisive

That’s how we continue to live well in the desert — even when the river reminds us who’s really in charge.

PUBLIC NOTICE
Please note that the Desert Knowledge Precinct is closed to the public today.

Staff are working today and monitoring the rainfall situation north of Alice Springs and SecureNT announcements.

SecureNT SecureNT is the Northern Territory Government's official website for community warnings and other emergency management information for bushfires, storms, cyclones, floods and other disasters.

Taking Remote Voices to Canberra

Good to see Marion Scrymgour MP, Federal Special Envoy for Remote Communities, focused on elevating remote voices to the highest levels of decision-making in this country.

Remote Australia must be part of national conversations — not an afterthought. Stronger connections between communities and Canberra mean better policy, smarter investment, and real outcomes on the ground out here.

At DKA, we support practical pathways that turn local priorities into action.

🔗 Read the story via NIT below.

Taking remote voices to the highest level: Marion Scrymgour is aiming to bridge the gap between communities and Canberra Since Federation, people in regional and remote Australia have argued that decisions affecting their lives are too often made far away in Canberra.Since the capital was established on Ngunnawal Countr...