Project Overview
Key Components
Recurrent Energy is developing the proposed Sundown Solar Farm, a 360MW photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation facility and associated 150MW battery energy storage system (BESS). If approved, it will include a new substation, which will connect to the existing Transgrid 330 kilovolt (kV) transmission line that traverses the site.
The proposed project is located at Spring Mountain, approximately 30 kilometres east of Inverell in the Inverell Shire Council local government area and is within the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).
The proposed access to the site is via Gwydir Highway, Spring Mountain Road and Sturmans Road.
- The project comprises the following key components:
- a network of approximately 660,000 PV panels and associated mounting infrastructure
- a 150 MW (AC) battery BESS (4 hour)
- 330 kV onsite substation
- electrical collection and conversion systems, including inverter and transformer units, switchyard and control room
- underground and aboveground cables
- a management hub, including demountable offices and amenities and equipment sheds
- onsite creek crossings
- security fencing
- temporary laydown areas (during construction and decommissioning)
- parking and internal access roads
- lighting
- firefighting infrastructure.
Technical Summary
| System capacity: | 360 MW (solar farm) + 150 MW (battery) |
| Solar panels: | Canadian Solar Bifacial 655W panels |
| Type: | Single Axis Tracker Solar Array |
Sundown Solar Farm will create economic benefits to the local region through employment opportunities and promote regional development due to the use of local businesses. It is anticipated the project will complete construction and begin generating energy in late 2024.
Sundown Solar Farm is using Tier-1 Bifacial Canadian Solar panels, tailored for projects of this calibre. Our standards and systems ensure that we always work with highly experienced and reliable partners to provide the complete engineering, procurement and construction packages.
Sundown Solar Farm Benefits
- Increase in local employment and investment in the community
- The development of renewable energy generation project with storage along major transmission routes is in line with the Federal Government’s direction to improve the affordability and security of the national energy market while also delivering on international climate commitments.
- Battery storage can add significant benefits to solar generation because it allows for the dispatch of energy in accordance with market demand and overcomes potential issues associated with the intermittency of output.
- Post construction, it is proposed that the balance of land that is not occupied by solar farm infrastructure would continue to be used for agricultural purposes such as sheep grazing, resulting in only a minor net change to the existing land-use situation.
Environmental Offsets
Design of the project is being undertaken to avoid impacts to biodiversity and other natural values as much as practicable. Where impacts cannot be avoided, they will be mitigated using best practice adaptive management strategies. In some cases, impacts may not be practical to avoid or mitigate, and therefore an offset may be required in accordance with NSW and Commonwealth legislation. Environmental offsets may include the establishment of Stewardship Agreements (formerly known as BioBank Agreements) which provide landowners with a guaranteed income stream to permanently conserve and manage land for conservation.
The project team is investigating opportunities to establish such agreements in the NSW New England Tablelands region. If you are a landowner interested in establishing an offset or stewardship site, or you believe you have credits which may be suitable for this development, please contact us to find out more.