Twelve years after it was conceived, the Goulburn Community Solar Farm in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands has commenced electricity export to the grid.
The $5.5 million (USD 3.86 million) project, owned by the Goulburn Community Energy Cooperative (GCEC) and built across a 2.2-hectare site on the outskirts of Goulburn, includes a 1.4 MW solar farm coupled with a 2.3 MWh battery energy storage system.
While not a particularly large development, Edison Zhou, Trina’s head of operations in Australia and New Zealand, said the community-owned and funded project is significant in that it has been supplied by the manufacturer from the ground up, highlighting the value of single-source hardware procurement.
“As solar projects grow in size and complexity, developers and communities are increasingly looking for solutions that simplify integration and long-term operations,” he said.
“This project brings together Trinasolar’s PV modules, TrinaTracker mounting systems and Trina Storage battery technology in a single installation, demonstrating how a fully integrated approach can reduce interface risk, streamline delivery and provide a single point of support across the entire system.”
The Goulburn Community Solar Farm project employs about Trinasolar 2,300 Vertex N 620 W bifacial modules, TrinaTracker FixOrigin mounting systems and the Trina Storage Elementa 2 battery energy storage system.
“This is a fully integrated system, with modules, tracker and battery supplied by Trina as a single solution,” the company said, adding that the single-source approach addresses a “genuine industry pain point.”
“Integrated solutions can reduce interface risk between components, streamline project delivery and simplify long-term operations and maintenance, proving a cost-effective approach for communities and corporations alike,” Trina said.
Image: Trinasolar
The Goulburn Community Solar Farm was first conceived in 2014, with hundreds of local community members investing in the GCEC to help fund and deliver the project.
“For many of our members, this has been a 12-year journey from idea to reality,” said Andrew Bray, chair of the GCEC and national director of RE-Alliance.
“We now have a solar farm that is owned by the community, funded by the community, and delivering benefits back to the community for years to come.”
The facility is expected to generate approximately 2,400 MWh of renewable electricity annually with Trina pointing out that the integrated solar-plus-storage solution will help maximise long-term value within the National Electricity Market (NEM).
“As many solar plants generate electricity around midday, wholesale electricity prices in the NEM can drop sharply at such period, limiting revenue opportunities,” the company said. “By storing excess solar generation during low-price periods and dispatching it later when prices are higher, the battery system allows the project to maximise the value of the energy it produces.”
Estimates suggest local investors will receive a return on their investment of about 5% a year with the Co-operative hoping to pay its first dividend later this year. A portion of annual profits will also be directed to a community fund established to address energy poverty in Goulburn.
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