Emu Downs Solar Farm
- $5.5m Funded by ARENA
- $47.2m Total project cost
Summary
The Emu Downs Solar Farm project is a 20 MW single-axis tracking solar photovoltaic (PV) farm co-located on the site of the existing 80MW Emu Downs Wind Farm.
The project is one of 12 large-scale solar PV projects supported by ARENA to increase the nation’s experience in planning and building large scale solar PV and making it more competitive by increasing confidence and building supply chains. Once complete, the 12 projects are expected to triple the amount of electricity produced from big solar in Australia and unlock almost $1 billion of commercial investment in the technology.
Need
At the time of funding, the large-scale solar PV industry in Australia was in its infancy. The 12 new large- scale projects will change this by adding almost 500MW of new generation, powering 150,000 average Australian homes.
This project consists of:
Learn more
Reports: The Generator Operations Series
In 2016, when the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) launched the $100 million Large-scale Solar funding round, renewable energy constituted a very small fraction of the energy mix.
Video: Emu Downs Solar Farm Timelapse
The Emu Downs Solar Farm project is a 20 MW single-axis tracking solar photovoltaic (PV) farm co-located on the site of the existing 80MW Emu Downs Wind Farm.
Image: Emu Downs Solar Farm
Worker at the large-scale solar farm at Emu Downs.
Media Release: First Cab Off the Rank: First of 12 Large Scale Solar Farms Completed in Emu Downs, Western Australia
In a landmark achievement, ARENA announced Emu Downs is the first of its 12 large-scale solar farms funded under its $92 million round to be completed.
Benefit
By supporting Emu Downs Solar Farm and other large-scale solar projects, ARENA is making the benefits of solar available to more Australian energy consumers. It is anticipated that the Project which features over 75,000 PV solar modules will be able to generate enough energy to power some 7,000 average Australian homes.
The cost trajectory of large-scale solar PV has seen the technology become competitive without additional support. The competitive round was critical in supporting this outcome by helping to close the cost gap that existed between large-scale solar PV and other commercially competitive forms of power generation, including wind energy.
ARENA will be sharing knowledge from the Large Scale Solar competitive round projects on a range of topics, from construction techniques, solar forecasting and capital costs, to Operations and Maintenance (O&M) practices and grid impacts.
ARENAWIRE Blogs
Wind and solar farm completed at Emu Downs
When APA Group bought the Emu Downs Wind Farm in 2011, the new owners faced a challenge: how do you guarantee a steady supply of energy throughout the day?
