Australia is set to be home to one of the largest solar photovoltaic research plants in the world.
First Solar and The University of Queensland today announced that construction has begun on a 3.275 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic research facility at the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Gatton campus.
The facility will be the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) research facility in the southern hemisphere and will support innovation in Australia’s renewable energy industry by providing world-leading research on large-scale solar power systems.
UQ vice-chancellor and president professor Peter Høj said researchers using the facility will provide new insights on integrating large-scale renewable power plants with conventional electricity grids.
“These researchers are some of the best in the business, and their teamwork with an innovative global company such as First Solar will ensure optimal returns on a substantial Australian government investment in renewable energy R&D, with excellent implications for society and the environment,” he said.
Covering 10 hectares the plant will be Queensland’s largest solar PV project and produce enough electricity annually to power more than 450 average Australian homes, equivalent to displacing more than 5,600 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide or removing 1,590 cars from the road.
It is a pilot plant for new and existing large-scale Australian solar projects, including the Nyngan (102MW) and Broken Hill (53MW) plants being built by First Solar for AGL PV Solar Developments Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of AGL Energy Limited in NSW.
In addition to supplying and installing about 40,000 advanced thin-film photovoltaic panels in ground-mounted
arrays, First Solar will also provide engineering, procurement and construction for the Gatton PV Pilot Plant.
“Our collaboration with UQ will result in advanced local solar generation technologies that will strenghten the
solar industry’s position within Australia’s energy mix,” according to Jack Curtis, First Solar’s regional manager for Asia Pacific. “The Gatton research facility will demonstrate the value of private and public sector research collaboration to the renewable energy sector. It will also support First Solar in the continued delivery of best-in-class technology to the market.”
Professor Paul Meredith, director of UQ Solar which is housed within the Global Change Institute, said the project is scheduled to be commissioned early next year and will provide 30 per cent of the UQ Gatton campus’ energy.
“The new research facility will enhance knowledge and implementation of grid integration of large solar power systems,” Professor Meredith said. “It will allow us to compare and contrast new technologies by studying electrical and economic performance of multiple PV mounting technologies through the installation and operation of fixed tilt, single axis and dual axis tracker technologies side-by-side in the same field.”
The plant will include a megawatt-hour-scale battery storage research station to improve understanding of the value of short- and medium-term energy storage, its impact on the quality of power supply and any resulting economic benefits.
The research project represents a key component of the $40.7 million grant by the Education Infractructure Fund (EIF) to UQ and the University of NSW (UNSW), announced last year.