FACT SHEET

LARGE-SCALE SOLAR

Solar energy currently comprises two main types of

technology – solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal.
This technology can be used on a small scale, such as
systems on residential rooftops, and on a larger scale
with the difference being the volume of electricity able
to be generated from these systems.
Australia is ideally placed to make the most of
large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power as one
of the countries that enjoys the most sunshine in
the world.
Solar PV converts the sun’s energy into direct
current electricity. It involves the use of solar
cells which are packed behind glass to form the
modules commonly seen on the rooftops of
residential premises. Solar PV has proven popular
because it is reasonably easy to install on
common structures such as houses, warehouses
and parking lots. Besides the panels themselves
the other main component is the inverter which
converts the energy from the panel from direct
current (DC) to alternating current (AC) which is
generally used by local networks.
Solar thermal uses the sun’s energy to produce
heat which is then used to drive a conventional
steam turbine to produce electricity. Various
types of solar thermal technologies are used
across the world including concentrating solar
INSTALLED CAPACITY (MW)
Over the same period, large scale solar generation
accounted for around 3.5 per cent of renewable
energy, or 206 GWh. This is starting to change
in Australia with a number of new large-scale
solar systems being built in 2015 and more now
under construction. In 2015, the cumulative
installed capacity of large-scale solar generation
was four times higher than in 2014.
In recent years, solar technology has improved
and the cost of solar panels has come down
significantly. These changes help to make
large-scale solar projects like Origin’s Darling
Downs more competitive with other renewable
energy sources.
LARGE SCALE SOLAR CUMULATIVE INSTALLED CAPACITY (MW)
250
YEAR CAPACITY
(MW)
200
2009 4

power which uses an array of mirrors or lenses to 2010 4

project a concentrated amount of sunlight onto a 150
central location such as a tower. 2011 6
1.2

In 2015, 14.6 per cent of Australia’s electricity 2012 26

100
generation was sourced from renewable energy. 2013 29
Of this renewable energy, 17 per cent was from
solar energy. Household and commercial solar 2014 53
50
systems less than 100kW in size generated the 2015 216
overwhelming majority (95 per cent) of this solar
energy. Solar PV systems have proven so popular
0
with Australian households that by the end of
2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2015 over 1.5 million small-scale systems had

been installed1.

Large-scale solar cumulative installed capacity (MW)

Source: Clean Energy Council 2015, Clean Energy Australia Report 2015

(1) Clean Energy Council 2015 Clean Energy Australia Report

LARGE-SCALE SOLAR | AUGUST 2016

FACT SHEET
LARGE-SCALE SOLAR
Above ORIGIN AND LARGE-SCALE SOLAR
FRV’s 56 MW Moree Solar Farm Origin is committed to meeting our obligation
in northern NSW under the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target
(LRET). With the continued fall in the cost of
solar technology we view large-scale solar as
providing an exciting opportunity in Australia,
particularly in areas of high solar irradiation such
as northern NSW and Queensland. We can
achieve this through various options including
building projects directly, underwriting projects
through power purchase agreements (PPAs),
or by purchasing certificates on market.
Large-Scale Solar PPAs
PPAs are agreements between the producer
of a resource and the buyer of a resource to buy
or sell portions of the power generation by the
producer. Origin has recently signed two PPAs
with Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) for
100 per cent of the output and 100 per cent of
the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from
two large-scale solar projects; the 56 MW Moree
Solar Farm in northern New South Wales and
the 100 MW Clare Solar farm in northern
Queensland. When complete, these two projects
are expected to produce around 400 GWh of
electricity annually.
Both sites will use single-axis tracking technology,
which means that the panels are able to track
the path of the sun over the course of the day,
resulting in more energy being generated over
a longer period of the day than if they were fixed.
(2) AC-peak (plant capacity at the National Electricity Grid
connection point)
(3) Based on preliminary plant yield estimates and an average
daily household electricity usage of 19kWh
LARGE-SCALE SOLAR | AUGUST 2016
Darling Downs Solar Farm
Origin Energy is developing the Darling Downs
Solar Farm, located approximately 45 km from
the town of Dalby in south-western Queensland.
The project is situated next to Origin’s Darling
Downs combined cycle gas fired power station
and close to the Braemar substation, a regional
high voltage transmission hub. This project has
been shortlisted by the Australian Renewable
Energy Agency (ARENA) for funding through
its large scale PV competitive round.
The site is an ideal location for a solar
development given its high quality solar
resource, proximity to existing electrical
infrastructure, visual shielding provided by
surrounding site vegetation and minimal
environmental impacts likely during
construction due to historic site uses.
With a potential generating capacity of
approximately 105MW2, the Darling Downs
Solar Farm will be one of the largest PV projects
in Australia and will produce enough electricity
each year to power up to 32,0003 homes. The
project will take approximately one year to
construct, involving the building of access
tracks, electrical substations and installation
of approximately 400,000 solar panels on
mounting structures across the site. The project
is being designed to produce electricity for up
to 30 years.