Tasmania approves first solar farm and giant battery as rooftop PV hits record high

The Northern Midlands Council in Tasmania has approved a development application for a 288MW solar farm and a giant battery project on the historic Connorville farm, owned by one of the state’s oldest farming families.

It will be the island state’s first utility scale solar farm, and a significant development for a state that already sources nearly all its electricity needs from renewables, mostly hydro but also wind, and a growing amount of rooftop PV, which hit a record peak output of 221MW last Thursday.

Connorville is one of Tasmania’s original pastoral stations, and has been owned by the O’Connor family since it was established in 1824. Roderick O’Connor says he is looking to secure the next 200 years and make a mark on history.

“We’re looking for longevity, we’ve been here for nearly 200 years, how do we guarantee to stay for another 200?” O’Connor told ABC News.

And, following Monday night’s Northern Midlands Council meeting, O’Connor will get his dream, with the council unanimously approving the development application for one of Tasmania’s first utility-scale solar farms.

Local renewables company TasRex, which launched in October with plans to build a 5GW portfolio of onshore and offshore renewable energy projects, says the Northern Midlands Solar Farm will consist of 677,264 ground-mounted solar panels as well as a 345.9MW/691.7MWh battery energy storage system.

Built on 600 hectares, the solar panels will share Connorville paddocks with 22,000 sheep, highlighting the ability for solar farms to work in tandem with existing farming operations. See also: Australia’s biggest solar farm reaches peak output, now to host 6,000 sheep

“We can look after some of the natural element of the pasture and we can provide a bit of habitat for sheep under the solar panels, a bit of shade to shield them — it’s a win-win,” Roderic O’Connor told ABC News.

The 288MW solar farm will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 70,000 local homes and help wean Tasmania off relying on imported energy from Victoria during the day.

“At the moment, we exchange energy with mainland Australia sometimes to bring in solar from mainland Australia,” explained TaxRex chief executive Bess Clark, also speaking to ABC News.

“We’ll be supporting Tasmanian load with local solar as well, with projects like this.”

TasRex also posted to LinkedIn on Tuesday, expressing their appreciation to hear the local councillors “speak of the project’s opportunity to support the region and the state in the next era of Tasmanian renewable energy.”