Work begins on Phase I of 6-MW rooftop PV project in Adelaide

Installation has begun on the first phase of a 6-MW rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) array in South Australia, the local government said on Monday.

The 2.34-MW system will be mounted on a former car manufacturing site in Adelaide’s Tonsley Innovation District. The owner and operator of the project is utilities provider Enwave Australia, while ZEN Energy, a solar group that is part of UK steel entrepreneur Sanjeev Gupta’s commodity conglomerate GFG Alliance, will install the power plant on Enwave’s behalf.

The first phase of the Tonsley District Energy Scheme envisages the installation of about 7,400 PV panels, while the entire complex will use up to 20,000 panels. Once up and running, the 2.34-MW power facility will generate electricity that Enwave will sell to businesses at Tonsley “at competitive market rates,” with its output estimated to mitigate as much as 3,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually.

According to the government’s statement, Enwave Australia has pledged to invest about AUD 40 million (USD 27.1m/EUR 24.6m) over a 50-year period for battery storage, solar PV, smart technologies and electrical assets.

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.677/EUR 0.614)

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