Windorah Solar Farm
Windorah Solar Farm's five dishes
CountryAustralia
LocationWindorah, Queensland
Coordinates25°24′50″S 142°39′38″E / 25.41389°S 142.66056°E / -25.41389; 142.66056
Construction beganSeptember 2007 (2007-09)
Commission dateOctober 2009 (2009-10)
Decommission dateOctober 2023 (2023-10)
Construction costA$4,500,000
Owner(s)Ergon Energy
Operator(s)Ergon Energy
Solar farm
TypeCPV
Power generation
Units operational5
Nameplate capacity180 KW
Annual net output100,000-360,000 kWh
External links
Websitewww.ergon.com.au/community--and--our-network/network-management-and-projects/renewable-energy-sources#content-id-4964

The Windorah Solar Farm was Ergon Energy's first solar farm trial near the town of Windorah in the Shire of Barcoo, Queensland, Australia. The plant used five concentrated solar dishes or reflectors which were manufactured and installed by Solar Systems. This was expected to save up to 100,000 litres of diesel fuel per year.[1] The integration of solar farm and diesel power was a first for Ergon Energy.[2]

The dishes contained 112 square mirrors each measuring 1.1 m across.[1] The five solar reflectors sat atop 13 m masts and could rotate 360°.[3] The array was expected to produce about 180 kilowatts of electricity for up to 10 months of the year.[3] The total cost of the project was A$4.5 million with $1 million being provided by the federal government.[4]

The solar farm was opened in December 2008,[5][6] and on sunny days was expected to supply the total daytime electricity requirements for the town of Windorah, with a population of 100.[1] When the solar power ran low the existing diesel power station provided electricity.[7] Not all of the dishes were used all the time. Some dishes were parked depending on the town's energy requirements.[2]

In 2013, Ergon Energy reported that the plant was operating effectively, with environmental conditions such as dust and wildlife having some impact on the reliability of the solar farm.[8]

In October 2023, the power station was demolished. Ergon Energy plans to build a new solar farm on the site.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Windorah Solar Farm – A Beacon Of Sunlight" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 17 November 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Windorah Solar Farm". Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Work heats up on outback solar farm". ABC News Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  4. ↑ "Outback town running on sun". Warwick Daily News. APN News & Media. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  5. ↑ "PM, Bligh to open Qld's first solar town". ABC News (Australia). Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  6. ↑ "Sun could power remote communities". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "Outback town first in state to go solar". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. 10 September 2008. Archived from the original on 11 September 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Ergon has no plans for more solar farms". ABC News. 30 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  9. ↑ "This outback solar farm is a failure. So why is a new one being built on the site?". ABC News. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
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