Wirsol, Edify hook to grid 50-MW solar park in Victoria

The 50-MW Gannawarra solar park in the Australian state of Victoria has been connected to the local power grid, project owners Edify Energy and Wirsol Energy announced on Tuesday.

The plant, with direct current (DC) capacity of 60 MW, is currently undergoing the commissioning process. Situated near the town of Kerang, northwestern Victoria, the photovoltaic (PV) park uses Trina Solar modules and inverters by Germany's SMA Solar Technology (ETR:S92) and is connected to Powercor’s 66-kV distribution line. It will also be linked to a 25 MW/50 MWh energy storage facility powered by Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Powerpack battery.

Once fully operational, Gannawarra solar farm is anticipated to generate about 118 GWh of electricity per year, enough to meet the demand of around 18,100 local homes. The storage system, to be operated by EnergyAustralia, is scheduled to be online before this summer.

According to the press statement, the Gannawarra complex will be one of the biggest large-scale solar parks with integrated energy storage in the world. The battery component of the project is backed by funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Victorian government.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!