Western Downs Green Power Hub

Solar power station in Queensland, Australia

Neoen

Solar farm TypeFlat-panel PVCollectors1,000,000Site area1,500 hectares (3,700 acres)Power generationNameplate capacity400 MWExternal linksWebsitehttps://westerndownsgreenpowerhub.com.au/

[edit on Wikidata]

The Western Downs Green Power Hub is a large solar farm at the Kogan Creek Power Station near Chinchilla in Queensland, Australia. The photovoltaic solar power station uses one million solar panels to generate 400 megawatts of power.^[2] It utilizes 72-cell bi-facial solar modules on single-axis trackers; a system that tracks the sun throughout the day.^[3] It was the largest solar farm in Australia for some time.^[3]

The 1,500 hectare solar farm is owned and operated by Neoen. The state government-owned renewable energy operator CleanCo has signed an agreement to purchase 80% of the project's capacity.^[2]

Construction began in June 2020.^[1] The solar farm was built by Sterling & Wilson.^[1] Exports to the grid had begun by August 2022.^[4] The final solar panel was installed on 1 May 2023.^[5] The event was attended by state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.^[5]

The hub will also contain a 200MW/400MWh big battery. Construction of the battery had begun by January 2023.^[6] The PV station and battery, along with two other batteries, are connected to the national grid via the Western Downs substation and a new 275 kilovolt line constructed by Powerlink Queensland.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Western Downs Green Power Hub, Queensland". Power Technology. Verdict Media. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b Carroll, David (6 April 2023). "Final panel installed as Australia's largest solar farm nears full capacity". pv magazine. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Western Downs Green Power Hub". NS Energy. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ Carroll, David (22 August 2022). "Australia's largest solar farm begins exporting to grid". pv magazine. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Final solar panel installed". Western Downs Green Power Hub. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ "Battery Update: 2023". Western Downs Green Power Hub. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
^ R., Luwela (5 April 2023). "Construction of the 400MW Western Downs Green Power Hub completed". Australian Resources. Digital Media News. Retrieved 8 May 2023.