Utility Scale PV

Only weeks after Victoria’s first big battery was unveiled in Ballarat, the retrofitted 25MW/50MWh Tesla powerpack battery at the Gannawarra Solar Farm was commissioned ahead of schedule, confirms Germany’s Wirsol Energy. The developer’s major solar projects in Victoria have reached milestones: the 60 MW Ganawarra Solar Farm has successfully passed all commissioning tests, and the 110 MW Wemen Solar Farm has been connected to the grid.

Project developer Sunseap has announced plans for one of the world’s largest PV systems floating on seawater, to be built in the Johor strait which separates Singapore and Malaysia. The 5 MW system is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019.

After taking a 90.1% stake in one of Australia’s largest solar PV projects – the 255 MWp Sunraysia Solar Farm last month, U.K.-based infrastructure investor John Laing has closed its second solar project in Australia – the 174.9 MWp Finley Solar Farm in New South Wales.

The NSW Department of Planning has given the green light the 55 MW Vales Point solar project, one of the first large scale solar power plant in Australia to operate in conjunction with a coal-fired power station.

After being commissioned in stages, the Bungala Solar Farm near Port Augusta in South Australia is now fully operational. At 220 MW/275 MWdc, Bungala is Australia’s largest solar farm completed to date.

Passing the 2 GW installation milestone, opening its DG business and moving into Southeast Asia: Nextracker’s Australian operations is proving to be a bright spot on global map. For Peter Wheale, VP responsible for Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, it’s vindication of his conviction that the market was going to take off, and success in which fortuitous timing played no small roll.

The government-owned energy provider has signed eight wind and solar PPAs to cover the shortfall in its existing energy generating capacity and put downward pressure on wholesale energy prices. Snowy Hydro says it will be able to offer firm supply contracts at less than $70/MWh, which undercuts the current wholesale price of electricity.

The World Bank says global operational floating PV capacity has topped 1.1 GW, noting that adding floating solar to hydropower plants improves their flexibility while increasing energy yields. According to the latest WB report, Australia and Oceania have potential for 5 GW of floating solar on freshwater man-made reservoirs under conservative assumptions, and up to 50 GW under the most favorable scenario.

Looking to set the direction for a smart energy future, the New South Wales government has launched the Emerging Energy Program. As part of the scheme, funding will be provided to support the commercialization of new low-emissions, large-scale power generation and storage projects, as well as underpin feasibility studies to help get new projects off the ground.

The 349 MWp Limondale Solar Park located near Balranald, New South Wales, will feature solar modules produced by U.S.-based PV maker SunPower.