The Australian state government of New South Wales has given the go-ahead for the construction of a 900 megawatt Yarrabee Solar project, making it one of the biggest solar farms in the country.
It will be developed by the Reach Solar Energy, who is an Australian solar developer where the project will be build in Yarrabee Park which is located southwest of New South Wales. The project will be developed in phases of 300 MW and will utilise solar PV panels that are on a six-axis tracking system. It will also include an energy storage system that will help it to connect to the grid.
This $1 billion project will be able to provide the equivalent electricity for 315,000 homes while also creating as many as 600 jobs while the construction takes place. Once completed, the project will then become the largest solar farm in the area. Reach Solar Energy is also playing its part in the Bungala Solar Project, which is currently the largest completed solar project in South Australia.
At the moment, New South Wales has only 500 MW of wind solar that is operational throughout nine large solar farms and this also includes six new projects that contribute 305 MW, all of which were commissioned in 2018. There are also seven solar farms in the state that are under construction creating a combined total of 530 MW with another 70 farms having or seeking planning approval, bringing the total to 10,000 MW.
In New South Wales, the future of solar has been further solidified through the Large-Scale Solar Energy Guideline from the New South Wales Government. The aim is for it to lead applications as well as the community through the process of large solar farm proposals. The guideline provides guidance on the social and environmental impact of these large projects while encouraging the consultation process to begin early. This proves that the government is committed to the growing solar energy market.
