An extra 36,000 solar panels now installed along Canberra’s “solar highway” will generate enough clean electricity to power approximately 3,000 ACT homes.
Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury announced on Friday that the Territory’s Williamsdale Solar Farm has been completed. The facility will produce around 21,900 megawatt hours of electricity annually.
“Canberra is already making great progress tackling greenhouse gas emissions, and this large-scale solar project will substantially boost our ability to realise our ambitious vision of a clean energy future,” said Minister Rattenbury.
Once construction commenced on Williamsdale, development was rapid – the first of the tens of thousands of solar panels were only installed at the site in Tuggeranong in October last year.
On average, the Tuggeranong area receives solar irradiation levels of around 4.83 kilowatt hours per square metre daily.
In addition to generating power for Canberra, the facility will also act as a research facility, which Minister Rattenbury said would be a great asset for the ANU, University of Canberra and CIT.
With Williamsdale now complete, Canberra’s solar highway – which stretches from Majura Parkway in Canberra’s north to the Monaro Highway in the south – now features four solar farms.
The other three clean power stations are Mt Majura Solar Farm (2.3 megawatts), Mugga Lane Solar Park (13 megawatts) and Royalla Solar Farm (20 megawatts). When Royalla was opened several years ago, it was the largest solar PV installation in Australia.
According to Minister Rattenbury, more than 174,340 photovoltaic panels are situated adjacent to 50 kilometres of road.
The ACT has set a target of 100% renewable energy by 2020, a target it looks well-placed to meet. Last year, the ACT Government also passed legislation to achieve zero net carbon emissions across the Territory by 2050.
As well as large scale solar, the ACT has also seen significant uptake of small-scale PV. According to Energy Matters, a 5.98kW solar power system featuring batteries installed in Canberra can provide a financial benefit of between $1,356 – $1,663 a year; depending on installation scenario and electricity consumption habits.
The ACT has also been a pioneer in energy storage, with a program that will result in 36 MW of solar batteries rolled out in thousands of Canberra homes and businesses over a four year period. The initiative is part of the ACT’s Next Generation Renewables Program.
