Australian council PV, Gransolar 35.4MW in Mexico, Costa Rica six months clean energy, Mecasolar

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

First Australian council to offset energy use with 1500V Queensland solar plant

Credit: Sunshine Coast

25 July: A 15MW solar project has been connected to the grid by Sunshine Coast Council in Queensland, Australia, making it the first local government in Australia to offset 100% of its electricity consumption with renewables, the council claims.

The solar farm at Valdora is also claimed to be the first solar farm in Australia to operate at 1500V DC and will help to alleviate rising electricity costs.

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

Mayor Jamieson said: “All power consumed at all of [the] council’s facilities, including our administration buildings, aquatic centres, community and performance venues, as well as holiday parks, libraries, art galleries and sporting facilities, will be offset with energy from a renewable source thanks to this nation-leading project.

“We are the first council in Australia to build and operate a 15MW utility-scale solar farm which will deliver AU$22 million in savings, after all costs, for our ratepayers over the next 30 years.”

Diamond Energy both planned and implemented the project, with support from Downer Utilities and Energex. About 36,000 tree and shrub seedlings will also be planted around the solar farm’s boundaries.

Already 15 councils have contacted Sunshine Coast about carrying out similar projects.

In other recent news, BayWa r.e. has sold its first Australian solar project, a 20MW utility-scale plant still under construction, to investment company Lighthouse Infrastructure.

Gransolar completes 35.4MW PV project in Mexico

Going forward, work will be carried out by Gransolar’s O&M team at the site. Image: Robert Scoble / Flickr

20 July: Spanish PV project developer Gransolar announced that it has achieved, within the expected period, the CAP of the 35.4MW Camargo PV project in Mexico by its client, Balam Fund.

The execution of the PV installation was held over 11 months until COD and included the construction of the 35.4MW installation and the process of connecting the substation to the main network.

Going forward, work will be carried out by Gransolar’s O&M team at the site, with the company set to carry out preventive and corrective maintenance work, spare parts management and regular monitoring.

The installation, which is located in Mexico’s northern state of Chihuahua, obtained its commercial operation date back in May 2017.

By reaching its COD, Gransolar noted that the project: “In short, is [at] the point from which the project becomes an entity that generates income . The point at which the electricity generated is fed to the grid and our customer can charge the energy produced at 100% for each kWh from that date.”

Costa Rica ran on 99% renewables for six months

Credit: ICT

26 July: During the first six months of 2017, 99% of Costa Rica's electricity came from renewable sources, according to data from the National Energy Control Center (CENCE).

In the last 30 years, renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, solar and hydroelectric have been responsible for production of nearly 93% of Costa Rica's energy, but this July they broke their own record.

The nation aims to be the first carbon neutral country in the world by 2021.

Mecasolar launches new business structure and tracker products

Credit: Mecasolar

Spain-headquartered firm Mecasolar has launched its new HYPERION-SR (single-row) and HYPERION-MR (multi-row) trackers.

The firm has also established new holding company, Mecasolar Technologies SL., that acquired all operations and property rights, while retaining the Spanish headquarters.

The company has appointed Alexandros Giannis as its new CEO.

Giannis said: “We are all very proud to announce the new structure of Mecasolar and at the same time present our products. They will be promoted throughout our international branches and serve our current pipeline target of 500 MW for 2017.”

2 September 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Intersolar Mexico is the leading platform for technology trends and B2B networking in Mexico's solar market. It focuses on photovoltaics, solar heating and cooling technologies, and energy storage. Together with the co-located events The GREEN Expo® and Aquatech Mexico, it has solidified its position as the largest gathering of professionals in the renewable energy and cleantech industry in Mexico since the debut in 2019. In 2024, the events hosted more than 400 exhibitors as well as 10,000 visitors and 12,000 industry professionals (total attendance). The sixth edition of Intersolar Mexico will take place from September 2 to 4, 2025 at the Citibanamex Center, in Mexico City.

Read Next

July 11, 2025
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has revealed that several utility-scale solar PV power plants experienced curtailment of above 25% in the National Electricity Market (NEM) in 2024.
July 10, 2025
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a new AU$60 million (US$39.4 million) funding round to bolster R&D efforts to achieve ultra-low-cost solar.
Premium
July 8, 2025
In the latest NEM data spotlight, solar generation in Australia reached its yearly lowest month, while rooftop solar prices spiked to AU$225.57/MWh.
July 7, 2025
GameChange Solar has announced plans to supply trackers for the 1GW second phase of the Abydos project in Egypt.
July 4, 2025
Australian retailer AGL Energy has confirmed its acquisition of South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant (SAVPP) from Tesla.
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).

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