30MW Solar Installation Set For Australia

January 3rd, 2013 by Adam Johnston

Gannawara Shire, in the Australian state of Victoria, has given the green light for a new 30-megawatt (MW) solar farm, according to PV Magazine.

Australia Solar Panels via Sweet One/Flickr/ Some Rights Reserved

Located north of state capital Melbourne, ECO For LIFE, a locally based solar installer and developer, was the successful bidder.

The new solar farm will be south of the township of Kerang, on 36 hectares of land.

“Construction of the $38 million solar farm is expected to commence in mid 2013, with an expected construction timeframe of around 14 months,” said Gannawara Shire manager Roger Griffiths.

This is not ECO for LIFE’s first solar venture, as it has been active in various other solar power plants in New South Wales and Victoria.

Meanwhile, this announcement is an added bonus for Australia’s path towards solar energy. In November, we reported Australia surpassed 2,000 MW, a significant solar power milestone.

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Tags: Australia, australia clean energy, Australia Solar, australia solar power plants, ECO For LIFE, ECO For LIFE Solar Energy, Gannawara Shire, Gannawara Shire Solar, Gannaware Shire Solar Energy, Kerang, Kerang Solar

About the Author

Adam Johnston Is currently studying at the School of the Environment Professional Development program in Renewable Energy from the University of Toronto. Adam graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a three-year B.A. combined major in Economics and Rhetoric, Writing & Communications. Adam also writes for Solar Love and also owns his own part time tax preparation business. His eventual goal is to be a cleantech policy analyst, and is currently sharpening his skills as a renewable energy writer. You can follow him on Twitter @adamjohnstonwpg or at www.adammjohnston.wordpress.com.

Ronald Brak

If a 30 megawatt solar farm can be built for $38 million that would be great as in Kerang it would produce electricity for roughly 7 cents a kilowatt-hour which is about the same as the cost of coal and gas power during the day. However, back in August the Northern Times said the project would cost $50 million. Hopefully they actually have managed to get the total projected price down to $38 million, or $1.27 a watt, which is a surprisingly low number. It’s less than half the current average cost of rooftop solar and our one and only existing solar farm is rather special in that it managed to cost about two thirds more per watt than rooftop solar.