University-powering 255MW PV project nears completion in Australia

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The Sunraysia Solar Farm in the Riverina town of Balranald, near Mildura, will be comprised of 755,000 PV panels when completed and will be located over an 800-hectare site. Image: UNSW Sydney

With a new 255MW PV project nearing completion, the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) is on pace to draw 100% of its energy usage from renewable sources by 2020. 

The Sunraysia Solar Farm in the Riverina town of Balranald, near Mildura, will be comprised of 755,000 PV panels when completed and will be located over an 800-hectare site.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Back in December 2017, UNSW Estate Management signed off on a 15-year solar supply deal with both Maoneng Australia and Origin Energy for 25% of the installation’s generation output, which would allow the university to reach its 100% goal by 2020. 

The plan is designed to address UNSW’s key environmental issues. The university will make the switch to 100% renewable electricity in December 2019, with UNSW Energy Manager Nicholas Jones noting that the Sunraysia Solar Farm is on track for completion by December 2019 as well. 

Jones added: “Excellent progress is being made with the construction of the solar farm and we are on target to achieve our ESP goal.”

All the earthworks, trenching and cable laying are complete at the site, while over 104,000 support piles have been driven in as well. Contractors are now more than half-way through installing the 755,000 solar panels on site as well. 

At peak output, the Sunraysia Solar Farm will generate enough energy to power more than 50,000 homes and will offset approximately 430,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. 

Read Next

Premium
October 8, 2025
PV Talk: Smart Energy Council's Nigel Morris reflects on how Australia has become a global testbed for distributed solar and storage innovation.
October 8, 2025
University of Sydney scientists have created the largest and most efficient triple-junction perovskite-perovskite-silicon solar cell on record.
October 8, 2025
Australia's NEM achieved a new minimum operational demand record of 9,666MW, marking a 4% decrease from the previous record.
October 8, 2025
Frontier Energy plans to expand its Waroona Renewable Energy Project into a renewable energy precinct by 2031, targeting up to 1GW solar.
October 7, 2025
Rystad Energy has said that Queensland’s utility-solar assets were the best-performing solar PV power plants in September 2025.
October 7, 2025
The government of Victoria, Australia, has launched the an incentive scheme to encourage businesses to install rooftop solar installations.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK