Victoria’s largest operational solar farm, Gannawarra, reaches project completion

• The 60MW Gannawarra Solar Farm in north-west Victoria – has reached project completion, having successfully passed all commissioning tests.

• Powering an average of approximately 18,100 homes and businesses in Victoria with clean, sustainable electricity.

• Retrofitted 25MW/50MWh Tesla powerpack battery reaches its own project milestone, completing the construction phase ahead of schedule.

WIRSOL Energy Pty Ltd (WIRSOL), the Australian arm of the WIRCON Group announces project completion at the Gannawarra Solar Farm. The 60-Megawatt (MW) solar farm is now operating at full capacity, having received approval from AEMO for successfully passing all commissioning tests – positioning the project as the largest operational solar farm in Victoria.

Gannawarra Solar Farm will provide enough energy to power an average of approximately 18,100 Victorian households with clean, sustainable electricity, whilst preventing the emission of approximately 137,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The Victorian government consciously committed to re-establishing the state as a front-runner in renewable energy, with targets of 25% by 2020 and 40% by 2025 – Gannawarra Solar Farm leads by example and signifies the commitment made to provide a clean energy future. This is a significant milestone for WIRSOL, highlighting our position as a leading active renewable energy developer within the Australian market today.

Additionally, the integrated 25MW/50MWh Tesla powerpack battery has reached its own project milestone, completing the construction phase ahead of schedule.

WIRSOL and Edify Energy, joint-owners of Gannawarra Solar Farm and Gannawarra Energy Storage System, have overcome some unique regulatory and technical challenges to become the first battery storage system that has been retrofitted to an existing solar farm. The facility holds great significance and further demonstrates the great opportunity for integrating large-scale battery storage with solar projects.

Mark Hogan, Managing Director of WIRSOL comments, “We are delighted to reach two crucial milestones at Gannawarra Solar Farm. The overall project and how it has evolved is unique to the industry which in turn sets a benchmark for future projects, which enables the ability to optimise the delivery of energy at peak times supporting demand throughout the daily cycle.

We are proud to be a major contributor towards Victoria’s renewable energy target which also underwrites our own personal mission of deploying greater than one gigawatt of solar energy by the year ending 2020 in Australia. Maintaining the deployment of solar, coupled with storage where appropriate, is a cornerstone in attaining sustainable and affordable clean energy, which is evidently now within reach on a global scale, specifically within Australia.”

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About WIRSOL Energy

WIRSOL Energy has been a major player in the large-scale renewable energy market since its creation in 2013.  Starting in Germany as a subsidiary of the WIRCON Group, the company has grown to develop, construct and operate integrated renewable energy systems, including utility scale solar PV projects across Europe and now as one of the market leaders in Australia.  WIRSOL Energy is majority owner of the Gannawarra Solar Farm and joint-financiers of the Gannawarra Energy Storage System with Edify Energy.

WIRSOL Energy Pty Ltd has excelled due to its highly developed skill set, particularly in securing high quality sites; facilitating network connection, securing off-take agreements and establishing development financing.  WIRSOL’s Australian office is located in Manly, NSW, the beachside suburb of Sydney that is fast becoming Australia’s solar hub.  For additional information please visit our website www.wirsol.com.au