Expressions of interest are being requested for the construction of a solar farm in Western Australia.
Energy retailer Synergy is looking to a solar farm 50MW – 150MW being constructed in the state by 2016.
According to Western Australia’s Energy Minister Peter Collier, the solar farm could be based on solar panels or solar thermal technology.
Synergy’s role would be a commercial agreement for the capacity, electricity and renewable energy certificates from the solar farm that would feed into the South West Interconnected System.
The Minister said the Liberal-National Government recognised that Western Australia has an abundance of sunlight and stated “we should look to every opportunity to garner this renewable energy source to meet our growing energy demands.”
Even given the Minister’s apparent enthusiasm for solar power, Western Australia will be one of the last states to have a solar feed in tariff in place; whereby owners of solar power systems large and small are paid a premium rate for feeding electricity into the mains grid.
As feed in tariffs, implemented correctly, have continually demonstrated to be one of the best ways to spur on the uptake of solar power, investment in other solar farms in the state will likely remain in limbo until the details of its program are hashed out.
Western Australia’s feed in tariff was originally to be based on a gross model where all electricity generated would attract the premium payment. Earlier this year, the government backflipped, opting for a net feed in tariff model instead. While the net feed in tariff is due to kick in mid-next year, details including tariff rates are yet to be formally announced.
The Western Australian Government released a discussion paper a few months ago requesting comments from interested parties on the preferred design of the new tariff scheme. The submissions period closed on 20 November 2009.
