Massive $25M solar farm approved for Northern NSW site
The development will provide electricity for 4500 homes for almost three decades.
Lismore
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A major solar farm that will provide electricity for 4500 homes for almost three decades has been approved.
The Northern Regional Planning Panel has given the green light to Enerparc Australia's $25 million project, which will be built about 2km east of Tenterfield on 60ha of land owned by Silver Downs Farms.
The approval comes almost two years after the application was first lodged.
The solar farm will generate electricity through the conversion of solar radiation to electricity using photovoltaic panels.
"The solar array includes fixed PV modules which comprise of approximately 107,286 pieces, with 10 inverter stations expected to be in operation," the report states.
"The combined electricity generation capacity is approximately 25 megawatt AC."
Panels would be fitted to fixed frames, angled upwards in a northerly direction, and supported by about 750 piles that will be mechanically driven or screwed in to the ground.
The solar array would then connect to the substation through a 22kV line below the ground.
It will take at least seven months to build the solar farm, and it will be operational for 28 years.
In the Northern Regional Planning Panel's reasons for determination, it was stated the project was in the public interest.
"The proposal will have beneficial social and economic impacts," the report states.
"It will create local employment during the construction phase and will provide nonpolluting and competitively priced electricity once operational."
Enerparc says the region is one of the best locations in NSW to generate renewable energy.
"Enerparc has designed a community scale solar park which is sized to fit local energy needs," they explain on their website.
"Electricity produced from the site provides a clean power source for local and regional consumers in a cost-effective manner.
"With a 25MW AC capacity and up to 32,180 kWp, the solar farm will produce 52.45 GWH of clean renewable energy per year to the local electricity transmission network, providing enough energy to power up to 4500 average homes each year."
Enerparc was founded in Germany in 2008 and designs, builds and operates large PV systems in more than 20 countries around the world.
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