Graph of the Day: Kidston leads again as best performing solar asset in Australia

The 50MW Kidston solar farm has again topped the tables of the best performing solar assets in Australia – for the fourth month in a row – as Queensland’s superior winter sunshine enables its solar farms to dominate the latest ratings tables.

According to the latest monthly survey by research firm Rystad Energy, Kidston – owned by takeover target Genex Power and built next to an old open pit gold mine, that will soon host the country’s newest pumped hydro project – returned a capacity factor of 25.5 per cent in the month of July.

That put it ahead of Pacific Hydro Australia’s Haughton stage 1 solar farm (24.7 per cent) and Adani Australia’s Rugby Run solar farm (24.4 per cent). These three solar farms were also the best performing solar assets in June.

The top ranking performance is good news for Genex, which last month reported an average price of $184/MWh from the Kidston solar farm for its output in the June quarter, thanks to the inflated wholesale prices in Queensland.

That sum does not include gains on the sale of large scale certificates (LGCs), which Genex is required to pass on to the state government under an underwriting contract. Kidston’s electricity output is sold on the spot market, whereas as most solar farms are locked in to lower priced fixed contracts for all or part of their output.

In the month of July, Queensland solar farms filled in all the top ten spots in July, and 13 of the top 15 spots. Only Gunnedah and Nyngan from NSW were included in the top 15.