A 25 MW solar farm is to be built on the outskirts of Perth at a projected cost of $42 million, says Sun Brilliance, a Perth-based solar power systems integrator.
The planned facility would be the largest solar power plant in Western Australia, more than double the capacity of the current titleholder, the 10 MW Greenough River Solar Farm outside Geraldton.
Sun Brilliance says it has an MOU with a local power retailer – Community Electricity – that supplies low-cost power to commercial customers in Perth. The MOU will be converted to a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) once all regulatory approvals are in place, including connecting to the local grid.
The company says it hopes to begin construction in the second half of 2016, pending site selection and regulatory approvals, with full operation to commence by early 2017.
“With an off-taker – Community Electricity – in place, and strong interest from investors, we expect to move through financing quite quickly,” said Sun Brilliance Director Professor Ray Wills.
“Rooftop solar has dominated the Western Australian market in the past five years, while the rest of the world has largely built utility-scale solar farms. While Sun Brilliance will also look to install large rooftop systems for business and industry in Perth, solar farms will be important to deliver competitively priced electricity to customers who want power from renewable sources, but might not otherwise be able to access solar via their rooftop.”
Professor Wills said the project in Western Australia will be a major milestone for Sun Brilliance, an Australian-owned business based in Perth. The 25 MW facility is the company’s first project to be developed in Australia, but it has a number of large-scale solar projects in development in India through its subsidiary Sun Brilliance Energy (India).
The company believes the WA solar farm will generate 45 million kWh per year once fully operational.