Moree Solar Farm starts feeding into the grid

Moree Solar Farm is now feeding 56 MW of renewable solar energy into the National Electricity Market, enough to power 15,000 average homes, according to the Australian Renewable Energy Association (ARENA).

Developed by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) on 280 ha in northern New South Wales, Moree Solar Farm is the first utility-scale, single-axis tracking and largest polycrystalline solar farm in Australia.

FRV CEO Rafael Benjumea said getting to first generation at the plant is a great achievement for the company and represents more than six years of work from development and financing to construction.

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said large-scale solar in Australia was making solid headway towards reaching commercial maturity with the last six months showing more than 210 MW from ARENA-supported solar farms start feeding into the grid and powering Australian homes and businesses with renewable energy.

“The Nyngan, Broken Hill and Moree solar farms, along with approximately 200 MW set to be built through ARENA’s $100 million large-scale solar round, will help push costs down by developing local supply chains, increasing financier confidence and advancing innovative renewable technologies,” said Frischknecht.

“The various projects underway and in the pipeline clearly demonstrate there are a range of technology pathways to success with big solar. In the case of Moree Solar Farm, single-axis tracking is being used to capture more of the sun’s energy as it moves across the sky.”

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) commented that each solar project is proving more efficient and cost-effective than the last, and this trend is continuing in Australia and around the world.

ARENA is providing $101.7 million funding support to Moree Solar Farm, while the CEFC has provided a debt finance commitment of $46 million.

The CEFC said it would continue to work closely with ARENA to augment the deployment of emerging energy technologies across Australia.

Moree Solar Farm is scheduled for full completion in April 2016.

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