Carnegie Clean Energy has announced its intention to build a giant solar energy park near Bunbury in Western Australia.
The solar plant will consist of 10 megawatts (MW) of solar panels and up to 10 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy storage batteries.
The location of the facility will be in the south-west of the state at the Kemerton Strategic Industrial Area – the WA government’s land and development agency.
Solar energy park plant project just one of many
Carnegie Clean Energy (CCE) is a specialist in solar energy, battery storage and wave energy, and has several subsidiaries. These include Energy Made Clean (EMC), which delivers mixed renewable energy projects to remote communities and islands. CCE also has other subsidiaries in the UK, Ireland and Chile.
The planned Kemerton solar park is one of many projects the company has in the pipeline or has completed. CCE also recently announced it has received $2.1 million in additional funding from the Commonwealth Bank to fund its Garden Island microgrid project and for Research and Development. The bank is also providing $4 million for Research and Development purposes, a total $6.1 million investment.
Garden Island microgrid is an offshore project near Rockingham in WA. It is a 2 MW solar farm with 2 MW of battery storage. The company has previously received funding from ARENA for the facility.
This project will be a world-first in terms of being a wave energy integrated renewable microgrid project. CCE expects connection to the grid to happen within a few months.
Other completed projects include a 324 KW energy facility at Mackerel Islands and Carnarvon’s 300 KW solar power station. CCE is also providing solar power and battery storage for the CSIRO’s telescope system.
Western Australians embracing solar power
CCE’s projects might be large-scale undertakings, but households and businesses in WA are also embracing solar power. The rising cost of mains electricity and the falling prices of solar panels are leading many Western Australia residents to seek out solar quotes to get a good deal on domestic solar.
At this stage the WA government is supporting the Federal Renewable Energy Target (RET). However, there has been a push by interest groups for the state to set its own targets to tackle climate change. Energy Minister Ben Wyatt has flagged setting a WA RET as a possibility in the future.
