World's biggest solar PV and energy storage project to be built in South Australia

A USD 1 billion solar and battery storage project - the largest on the planet - will open in South Australia later this year, the Lyon Group of companies (Sydney) announced.

Lyon Partner David Green said construction on Riverland Solar Storage, north-east of Adelaide, would begin in June.

“Riverland Solar Storage’s 330 MW solar PV generation and 100 MW battery storage system will be Australia’s biggest solar farm with 3.4 million solar panels and will also include 1.1 million batteries,” said Green.

The Lyon Group expects the facility to be operational by December.

Green was joined by South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill for the announcement at Parliament House in Adelaide.

Kingfisher Solar Storage to be built first

Lyon had previously announced another solar storage project – Kingfisher Solar Storage – near Roxby Downs in the north of the state, however Green said Riverland Solar Storage would be built first because the land was secured and the grid connection was “further advanced”.

Lyon expects construction to begin on the Kingfisher project in September, and for the project to be operational by mid-2018.

Green said both the Riverland and Kingfisher projects would feature battery storage systems larger than any currently operating on Earth.

4.7 million solar PV  panels

“If the 4.7 million solar panels at Riverland and Kingfisher were placed end to end, they would reach from Adelaide to Brisbane and back, and then all the way to Melbourne,” he said.

Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis added if Lyon was successful in its bid to build the Government’s battery, the Government would write contracts for the facility to be available at peak times. He said if the company was not successful, there would not be any State Government subsidy to the project. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com