The 110 MW AC Glenrowan West Solar Farm achieved its first export of energy in December after successfully completing initial testing and is expected to commence commercial operation next month.
Owned by German investment company Wirtgen Invest, the 323-hectare Glenrowan West facility comprises approximately 350,000 solar modules installed on single-axis trackers. It is expected they will generate an estimated 261,100 MWh of renewable energy each year.
The facility, located about 250km north of Melbourne, is the first renewable energy generator to connect to AusNet’s Glenrowan Terminal Station.
Works are set to continue in the coming weeks with Wirtgen indicating construction need to be completed on blocks of inverters and modules with the facility to enter commercial operation at the end of March.
“Our goal remains to deliver on the commitment to provide clean energy to the national grid for the next 30 years,” Wirtgen said in a statement.
Glenrowan West Solar Farm is Wirtgen Invest’s first foray into the Australian market but it has aspirations to add to its portfolio.
In a statement, the company said it is committed to assisting meeting the demands for clean, sustainable power across households and businesses, whilst continuing to contribute more specifically towards Victoria’s Renewable Energy Target of 50% by 2030.
“Once the project reaches commercial operation … the Victorian market will benefit from an additional 149 MWp of renewable capacity and the solar farm will provide enough energy to power the equivalent of 41,000 households with green electricity, whilst preventing the emissions of approximately 310,000 tonnes of CO2 per year,” Wirtgen said.
The Germany-based organisation acquired the project rights to Glenrowan West from Overland Sun Farming in July 2019 and construction commenced in January 2020 with Wirsol Energy, the Australian arm of the Wircon Group, and WiNRG delivering the project management services while Signal Energy Australia has taken the lead in engineering, procurement and construction.
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