AGL commissions Australia’s first heterojunction technology solar farm

An AGL and Risen Energy collaboration has seen Australia’s first utitily-scale solar farm using Heterojunction technology commissioned in southern New South Wales to power an almond orchard’s farming operation of over 700,000 trees.

May 16, 2025 Ev Foley

Image: Risen Energy

Australian energy giant Sydney-headquartered AGL Energy has commissioned its Canally Solar Farm, the nation’s first utility-scale project using Heterojunction (HJT) technology, supplied by HJT specialist China-headquartered Risen Energy.

The 6.5 MW Canally Solar Farm and 5.1 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), located within the Canally Almond Orchard, 853 kilometres west of Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), has seen the deployment of 11,000 Risen Energy HJT Hyper-ion modules.

The high-performance modules deliver an output power of 580 Wp and are designed to operate efficiently within a temperature range of -40 to 85 degrees Celsius, addressing the prevalent heat risks in the Riverina region.

The HJT modules have a degradation rate of 0.3% per year, along with a temperature co-efficient as low as -0.24%/℃, guaranteeing enhanced yield and returns for renewable projects.

As forecasted by AGL, combined with a 5 MWh battery system, the project will significantly cut the Canally Almond Orchard’s diesel consumption by 85%, leading to a reduction of approximately 10,900 tonnes of Scope 1 CO2-e emissions per year, equivalent to taking more than 3,000 cars off the roads annually.

The Canally Solar farm and BESS will supply 85% of the Canally Orchard’s energy needs, to farm 710,000 almond trees.
*Image: Go Farm Australia*

AGL Energy Sustainable Business Energy Solutions Head Brendan Weinert said the completion of module installation at Canally Solar Farm marks a key milestone in AGL’s commitment to investing in innovative and sustainable energy solutions.

“Partnering with Risen Energy and integrating HJT technology into this project allows us to push the boundaries of performance and efficiency, while delivering meaningful environmental benefits for our customer operations and the broader community,” Weinert said.

“We’re excited about the role Canally will play in shaping the future of renewable energy in Australia.”

Risen Energy Australia Sales Director Bryan Qin said the project is another milestone for Risen to elevate the HJT technology to a broader platform.

“We aspire to revolutionise solar energy utilisation in Australia and globally, reshaping industry benchmarks. Our mission is to enhance the energy structure through technological innovation and improve the quality of life for people everywhere,” Qin said.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.