TASMANIA’S first large scale solar farm, with 400ha of solar panels capable of powering one quarter of Tasmania’s homes, could be up and running on Connorville Station at Cressy within three years.
The Northern Midlands Solar Farm is a green energy project that property owner Roderic O’Connor has already invested millions of dollars in during the initial planning stage over the past year.
With planning advice from consultants Robert Luxmoore, he will be putting a development application to the Northern Midlands Council in coming weeks ahead of the hard work of technical impact assessments for a range of issues such as biodiversity, noise, visual, traffic and cultural heritage plus negotiating a transmission agreement with TasNetworks and a private purchasing agreement (PPA) to fund the project to completion.
The solar farm will consist of thousands of solar panels that follow the path of the sun, as well as a substation and battery storage facility on two of the lowest producing sections of farmland at Connorville, about five kilometres east of the actual homestead.
Once operational the site will still be able to be used for grazing sheep while outputting 300MW of renewable energy – double the output of the Granville Harbour Wind Farm on the West Coast and the Cattle Hill Wind Farm on the shores of Lake Echo on the southern Central Plateau. Two small solar farms, one at George Town, and the other at Wesley Vale, could also be up and running in the next few years, outputting 5MW and 12.5MW respectively.
Community engagement has begun with a public meeting held at Cressy last week attended by about 30 local residents. Aside from job creation while under construction, the solar farm is expected to produce reduced electricity prices for surrounding areas, with opportunities for behind-the-meter agreements and, while not the main objective, battery storage will allow for energy to be released into the grid during periods of peak demand.
However the majority of power it produces will go directly into the nearby Palmerstone transmission station, about 14km away, with a new line required to cross four adjoining properties. Potentially assisting the state to reach its 200 per cent renewable energy target by 2040, the power could be used in the production of green hydrogen to be used as a diesel fuel replacement in heavy haulage and mining activities and to attract and support major business developments in the region.
Mr O’Connor was approached by a friend wanting him to join forces and explore the potential of a renewable energy project in the State Government-identified Northern Midlands zone. While not initially thinking about his own property, Mr O’Connor said it quickly became clear that Connorville was possibly the only one that met the criteria.
“Tasmania gets more daylight hours than you think, akin to central Victoria, and we identified a section of land far enough away from the shadow of the Western Tiers where a solar farm could go and barely be visible to passing traffic,” Mr O’Connor said. “It’s a perfect fit for the environment, for rotational grazing underneath the panels and it doesn’t affect the farm’s wool production or conservation areas. “We could have gone about 20 per cent bigger but we are constrained by the limits of the power lines.”
As it turns out improved technology since the project began has made up the difference with efficiencies, where panels can be placed on the underside of the sun-facing panels because they can take up enough reflected light from the ground to make them viable.
“We are already getting noticed by state, interstate and international companies and I’m very excited to see the potential unfold,” Mr O’Connor said.
He said that another community meeting to discuss the project would be scheduled in coming months.