Image: Oregon Department of Transportation/flickr
The federal government has announced that it will chip in to help build a new 42MW solar farm in the New South Wales town of Manildra.
Situated in the state’s west, the town will become home to one of the most ambitious renewable energy sources in NSW as the Turnbull government continues to push its ‘technology neutral, non-ideological’ approach to provide affordable, reliable electricity as Australia transitions to a lower emission future.
The new solar farm will cost $100 million to construct, which will begin in the first half of 2017, with a support base of up to $9.8 million in funding from the federal government
According to a release from Minister for Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg, the solar farm will generate more than 120,000 megawatt-hours of clean electricity a year or enough to supply up to 14,000 homes.
The government has announced that First Solar, an American photovoltaic manufacturer will deliver the project, which will use 466,000 thin-film photovoltaic modules and NEXTracker single-axis tracking technology.
First Solar has entered into a 13-year power purchase agreement with EnergyAustralia for the generated electricity and large-scale generation certificates.
Manildra is one of the 12 projects announced in September 2016 under ARENA’s large-scale solar round which will deliver 480 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity.
The Manildra solar farm is expected to be completed in 2018.
