15 MW Sunshine Coast solar farm to be fully operational soon

The 15 MW Sunshine Coast Solar Farm in Valdora is on track to be fully operational soon.

The council-owned farm is expected to generate savings of up to $22 million, after costs, over a 30-year period based on today's cost of electricity.

Downer was awarded the contract to design, construct, operate and maintain (DCOM) the Sunshine Coast Solar Farm and appointed Trina Solar to supply 57,000 pieces of Duomax PEG14 315 W photovoltaic (PV) solar panel modules.

The farm is built on 24 hectares in Valdora, which is exposed to high winds and extreme weather conditions such as cyclones. To mitigate this, the Duomax module was selected due to its robust mechanical properties that can withstand extreme weather conditions. Its warranty fulfils the 30-year design life planned for the solar farm. The double glass and a frameless design offers reliability and performance. The product is designed to reduce the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) and achieve balance of system (BoS) savings. 

The Sunshine Coast Solar Farm is one of the first projects to be delivered at the 1500 V rating system, said Helena Li, president, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Trina Solar.

The project is said to enable the local Sunshine Coast Council to become Australia's first local government to offset 100% of its electricity consumption across all its facilities and operations from renewable energy.

At its peak, the Sunshine Coast Solar Farm will generate 15,000 kilowatts of electricity from the sun. This will supply power to the local council's administration buildings, aquatic centres, community and performance venues, as well as holiday parks, libraries, art galleries and sporting facilities. The electricity generated over one year is enough to power about 5000 homes.