5B appointed to deploy folding PV modules at hybrid Australian lithium mine

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
5B Maverick modules are prefabricated and deployed at project sites in concertina-style folding blocks, which speeds up deployment times. Image: 5B.

Australian solar equipment manufacturer 5B has been appointed to supply its Maverick module technology to a 95MW hybrid power station in Western Australia.

The project, developed and constructed by Zenith Energy, will feature a 16MWp solar installation from 5B to support the operation of a battery metals mine, the Kathleen Valley Lithium Project. Once complete, it will operate on 60% renewable energy and is expected to be Australia’s largest off-grid renewable energy hybrid power station.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Zenith will deploy 342 of 5B’S Maverick array systems beginning in June 2023, and the entire project is expected to begin production in mid-2024.

Zenith Energy’s managing director and CEO Hamish Moffat said: “5B has demonstrated that it has the potential to get the Kathleen Valley site to full solar PV generation capacity three months ahead of conventional single access tracker solutions with the potential to save more than sixty percent of the man hours required on site. This is creating a faster pathway to market for solar PV renewable energy generation assets.”

5B creates rapid-deployment, accordion-style folding solar module deployment units that mount low to the ground in an east-west configuration. The technology is prefabricated in the factory and then shipped to a project site to be deployed.

Last week, PV Tech Premium published an interview with 5B founder and CEO Chris McGrath, discussing the company’s approach to rethinking the way that solar modules are deployed as prices come down and land use becomes more of a concern.

Late last year the Australian science agency published a roadmap for achieving an integrated domestic renewable energy supply chain, as the country has vast reserves of raw materials but little manufacturing infrastructure in place to employ them.

Read Next

July 3, 2025
Malaysian engineering and infrastructure giant Gamuda has expanded its presence in the Australian renewables sector by partnering with Tasmanian landowners to build a 1.2GW portfolio, which includes solar PV.
July 2, 2025
A new state-owned green bank, the Energy Security Corporation (ESC), has launched in New South Wales, Australia, with an initial funding allocation of AU$1 billion (US$640 million).
Premium
July 2, 2025
ANALYSIS: China's leading PV manufacturers are locked in a new round of competition, aiming to outpace each other through record-breaking feats.
July 2, 2025
Indigenous-led renewable energy company Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC) has submitted plans for a hybrid wind and solar PV renewable energy project to the Australian government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
July 2, 2025
Robotics company Luminous has received AU$4.9 million (US$3.2 million) via Australia’s Solar ScaleUp Challenge to support deploying its ‘LUMI’ technology at utility-scale solar PV power plants.
July 1, 2025
A five-year research initiative is underway in Australia to test the viability of floating solar systems on irrigation dams.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK