Queensland-based firm SolarQ has announced it plans to develop the largest solar farm and energy storage facility in Australia, with 800MW(ac) of solar photovoltaic and 4,000MWh of lithium-ion battery storage.
The AU$2 billion (US$1.5 billion) project that has secured sufficient land in the Lower Wonga area of Queensland, says will eventually supply about 15% of south-east Queensland’s power needs.
Solar Q has lodged a 350MW solar plant application with the Gympie Council and plans to ramp up the project up to 800MW solar power generation within four years.
Scott Armstrong, the managing director of SolarQ told BBB that the lithium-ion technology would meet the competitive pricing required for market entry.
A tier 1 supplier will provide the battery storage, supplier arrangement are not finalised at this stage.
He said the solar farm would supply power to the electricity grid via an existing substation at Lower Wonga.
“The project leverages existing reliable transmission with no competing generation at the connection point. The substation provides the ability to inject at 275kV, meaning lower average connection costs and reduced loss factors to efficiently supply local customers with cheaper power,” Armstrong added.
Australian Solar Council chief executive John Grimes said the largest solar farm currently in Australia was 150MW.
“It won’t be the largest in the world, Grimes said. “There are some of 1,000MW being developed overseas but this is a very significant announcement for Queensland and the world.”
