Broken Hill solar plant to power 17,000 homes

The last of the 677,760 solar panels for the Broken Hill Solar Plant which will generate enough power to supply 17,000 homes have now been installed.

The solar project, along with the sister plant at Nyngan, is worth almost half a billion dollars and is expected will together power 50,000 average Australian homes.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) provided $166.7 million towards the $440 million AGL Solar Project. The project has remained to schedule, which was due for completion in November.

“There is a real sense of momentum driving large-scale solar in Australia today,” said Acting ARENA CEO Ian Kay.

“The Broken Hill and Nyngan solar plants are already supplying power to Australian homes and we now have $350 million available through ARENA and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which will further accelerate growth in the sector.”

Kay said large-scale solar has a vital role to play in Australia’s energy mix and with ARENA’s $100 million large-scale solar round is well positioned to double the capacity of the nation’s large-scale solar by encouraging investment, reducing finance costs and building robust supply chains.

“There has been serious interest in the round. We look forward to taking strong proposals forward and building on the significant achievements of AGL, First Solar and others,” he said.

The Broken Hill Solar Plant is reportedly currently generating up to 27 MW of renewable energy into the grid while the remaining 26 MW is expected to be brought online this month.

Both solar PV power stations are expected to generate up to 155 MW.

Minister for the Environment Greg Hunt said the success of the two solar projects will help pave the way for more large-scale solar plants to be built across Australia.

“As well as powering Australian homes with renewable energy, this project is also assisting AGL to transition towards a decarbonised economy. It’s a win-win scenario,” he said.

Image credit:©iStockphoto.com/Howard Oates

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