Could this be South Australia’s biggest private solar panel set up?

A MASSIVE $10.5 million solar panel set-up will make Adelaide’s biggest wholesale fruit and vegetable market self-sufficient and cut its power bills by $500,000 a year.

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A MASSIVE $10.5 million solar panel set-up will make Adelaide’s biggest wholesale fruit and vegetable market self-sufficient and cut its power bills by $500,000 a year.

More than 250,000 tonnes of fresh produce is traded between 45 wholesalers, 60 growers and hundreds of retail operators at the South Australian Produce Market, at Pooraka, each year.

The microgrid comprises a 4.2 megawatt lithium-ion battery, a 2.5 megawatt solar PV system comprising 6500 solar panels and a 2.5 megawatt on-site generator, all connected electrically with fibre-optic cable and controlled by a smart control and switching system.

The system dwarfs a one megawatt microgrid at the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds and Adelaide Airport’s 1.2 megawatt system, making it what is believed the largest private microgrid in SA.

The $10.5 million microgrid, which will be built with the help of a $2.5 million State Government Energy Productivity Program grant, will supply all of the wholesale market’s energy needs.

Artist impression of the South Australian Produce Market building

The grant is the first of what is expected to be a series of announcements this week as the State Government sells its energy plans to South Australians before the March election.

Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis told the Sunday Mail that pairing solar panels with batteries not only reduced power costs for businesses, it also reduced demand on the grid, putting downward pressure on power prices for all South Australians.

“South Australia is at the forefront of advances in the deployment of this technology and projects like this one at the SA Produce Market demonstrate how much can be saved by investing in solar and batteries,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

Market chief executive Angelo Demasi said the project would not have been possible without the grant.

“We want to ensure we can continue to provide affordable fresh produce on a local and global platform and this initiative means we can do it with an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner using an innovative solution,” he said.