Construction has begun at a Western Australia solar farm, WA’s largest solar farm, which is expected to deliver 281 GWh of clean electricity when it’s up and running.
Risen Energy’s 132 MW Merredin Solar Farm should start generation towards the end of the year. Eventually it will generate enough clean energy to power around 42,000 Western Australian homes.
Once completed, the solar farm will supply power to homes, businesses and industries located in the Wheatbelt region and South West of Western Australia.
Solar batteries on cards for Western Australia solar farm
A ground breaking ceremony took place this week at the Merredin site. Bulk earthworks will now prepare the site for the solar installation.
The town of Merredin sits midway between Perth and Kalgoorlie on Route 94. The solar farm is located on 460 hectares of former farming and grazing country.
Battery storage will then be added to the solar farm when the plant is fully operational. The installation will then provide 24/7 electricity during periods of peak demand.
Merredin Solar Farm boosts local jobs and economy
The Merredin solar installation will use as many local resources as possible, say developers. This includes labour, equipment, contractors and accommodation.
The construction phase will create around 200 jobs. The farm will have around 360,000 solar panels installed on-site.
Utility-scale solar farms and solar power installations now support more than 10,000 full-time jobs in Australia, according to the 2018 Green Energy Markets (GEM) report.
Large-scale wind and solar plants will also create more than 6,000 annual jobs in Victoria, GEM figures show. Victoria now has 66 projects of this kind on the go.
Stand-alone solar battery systems save remote WA farms
It’s not just large-scale solar installations creating clean, cost-effective energy on the Western Australia solar scene.
Solar microgrids are rolling out as stand-alone micro power stations across remote farming country in South West WA.
State-owned Horizon Power is also replacing more than 50 kilometres of ageing power lines and poles with small solar storage systems. Fourteen farms in Esperance will benefit.
Meanwhile, regional utility Western Power is also installing 57 stand-alone power systems in an $8.8 million project.
