Adelaide-headquartered energy infrastructure investor Sustainable Energy Infrastructure (SEI) has achieved 100% export on the 5 MW Monarto solar project located about 70 kilometres southeast of Adelaide, with engineer, procurement and construction (EPC) partner YES Group.
Monarto is the thirteenth in a platform of mid-large-scale solar and battery energy storage projects across regional Australia in which SEI is invested, with four more currently in varying stages of construction, with EPC partner and operations and maintenance (O&M) provider YES Group.
SEI has also invested in a separate portfolio of sub-5 MW distributed battery energy storage projects (BESS) located throughout regional Victoria that are also presently under construction and expected to reach completion in Q2 2025.
SEI General Manager Justin Parker told pv magazine sub-5 MW solar, and more recently BESS, are key to the company’s development strategy, and have allowed the company to enter the market for relatively small amounts of initial capital.
“We recognised we could spread our investment across multiple projects to derisk it from potential project delays. Sub-5 MW projects are also distribution connected, which was also favourable from a marginal/distribution loss factor perspective plus the need for large network augmentation works is not required, which further reduces potential delays,” Parker said.
“Sub-5 MW is easier from a network connection process too, largely due to the process itself being far simpler and not requiring the level of detail that larger projects do.”
“It is case-by-case with all other required approvals depending on the location and complexity of access that drives the turnaround time of these.”
SEI acquires portfolios of projects at a shovel-ready state from external developers, preferably with accompanying EPC agreements in place to facilitate its ongoing investment.
“There are three of the 13 sub-5 MW solar facilities presently being commissioned by YES Group that are all due to be online through September and October 2024, including the New South Wales-based 4.99 MW Werris Creek solar farm that’s using 11,664 Longi panels and Huawei Inverters, and in Victoria, the 4.85 MW Barnawartha solar farm using 12,285 Longi panels,” Parker said.
Across SEI’s portfolio, Risen and Longi panels are predominantly used, including on the Monarto solar farm which has been built with 11,502 Longi panels.
A further advantage of sub-5 MW solar projects is the land size required, which usually doesn’t span multiple landowners and are generally on small, unutilised parcels.
“With projects of this size the largest complexities, although still small compared to transmission projects, tend to be a combination of authority permitting, licensing and access approvals,” Parker said.
Image: Sustainable Energy Infrastructure
The company currently has 42 MW of solar and 8.75 MW / 17.5 MWh BESS in operation, with 28 MW solar and 33 MW / 84 MWh BESS at various stages of construction and commissioning, which is in addition to another 60 MW from an existing portfolio of energy assets.
Parker said a further benefit of sub-5 MW projects is the speed at which they can be built.
“They are also located within the distribution network meaning that they are located close to the load centres, which assists distribution infrastructure and generally they don’t suffer from loss factors,” he said.
“The way we deliver projects makes it relatively seamless. When SEI takes an interest in the projects they are shovel ready, the land options, connection offers and council approvals are all in place, so we aren’t exposed to many of these potential development hurdles.”
“With that said, it really leaves equipment delivery times and commissioning as the two main hurdles, these are managed out as best as possible via diligent EPC contractors.”
In the future, SEI may consider larger projects but for now is turning its eye toward growing BESS projects.
“SEI is looking to invest in projects that the wider market and energy transition requires but at present battery energy storage systems are the item of choice amongst industry. We’re always trying to keep abreast of what the next market requirement will be,” Parker said.
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