Five new solar farms set monthly record for Clean Energy Regulator accreditation

The renewable energy target may well have been met, but new wind and solar projects continue to be built. And in the month of December, five new solar farms were given accreditation by the Clean Energy Regulator, a monthly record.

The CER announced earlier this week that 926MW of large scale renewables had been accredited in December, most of the capacity from four new solar farms. But the real number, the CER says, is 1,117MW, because one solar farm was incorrectly assigned to the previous month’s data.

The five new solar projects accredited by the CER in December include the country’s biggest solar farm to date, the 460MW (DC) Western Downs facility, which forms part of a green energy hub that will also feature a big battery. It is owned by Neoen, in south west Queensland.

The other projects are the 202MW (DC) Columboola solar farm, also in Queensland, and the 119MW Hillston, the 11MW Sebastapol and the 189MW Suntop (pictured above) solar projects, all located in NSW.

The CER had estimated that 6,400MW of new capacity would be needed to meet the CER, but that has been easily exceeded. So far 14,971MW of capacity is operating, another 4,382MW is “committed” and a further 2,529MW of capacity is considered “probable.

“Investment in renewables remains strong and the 2020 target has not acted as a cap on new investment,” it said in its latest statement.”

None of the newly accredited solar farms have begun generation as they are still working through the connection process.