Through the Victorian VRET scheme, Australia can accelerate its clean energy transition, writes Aaron Zadeh, director of business development – Asia Pacific at Array Technologies.
The 130MWdc Glenrowan Solar Farm located a few kilometers southwest of Glenrowan, Victoria, sits on a vast green landscape, formerly used for grazing, in a valley surrounded by hills and positioned to receive maximum sunlight.
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Over 226,000 solar PV modules line the levelled terrain, moved autonomously by nearly 2,150 advanced trackers to face the sun or adjust to an optimal position in bad weather while continuing to power the community.
The power plant is reflective of the opportunity to grow renewable energy production in Australia and create a cleaner environment. But the site tells an even bigger story, one about the power of a well-constructed plan designed to maximise natural advantages and reach the ambitious but necessary goal of 100% renewable electricity for all Victorian government operations by 2025.
The success of this solar PV power plant is a testament to the achievements of the Victorian government’s Renewable Energy Target (VRET) policy.
The VRET was launched in 2017 and exceeded an an initial 650MW target to deliver 928MW of green energy. As such, a second VRET auction was proposed in 2022 also seeking 600MW of energy projects. These would feature strengthened network requirements to ensure projects can be easily connected to Australia’s grid.
The VRET auctions aim to help Victoria in meeting its renewable energy targets by providing long-term contracts that create investment certainty to build new energy generation projects. Six projects were successful under VRET2 – bringing forward 623MW of new renewable generation capacity and delivering up to 365MW and 600MWh of new battery energy storage systems (BESS).
VRET2 is expected to support 920 direct jobs and attract AU$1.48 billion (US$910 million) investment in new Victorian renewable energy projects, with strong local content requirements.
Glenrowan is one of six projects funded by VRET2. The plant has been up and running for just over a year. In that time, it has already demonstrated how these programmes will reach Victoria’s legislated renewable energy targets of 40% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 in a way that boosts the rural economy.
Since December 2023, the Glenrowan project created 125 full-time jobs and is currently generating enough renewable energy to power approximately 50,000 homes. These numbers track with the broader VRET2. Moreover, the plan’s local content requirements will result in AU$1 billion spent in local supply chains during construction.
Array Technologies brings credibility to the latter point.
When Array was awarded the contract to supply solar trackers for the 130MWdc Glenrowan Solar Farm, it became the first solar tracker company to set up local manufacturing operations to support such projects in Australia.
By partnering with Australian steel manufacturers, Array achieved the rare feat of producing trackers with locally sourced steel. It marked an achievement that other solar manufacturers must continue to strive toward, as using locally sourced components is an important step in the transition to a clean energy future.
As we enter the new year, Array will be developing a second project in the VRET2 programme, looking afield to additional renewable energy projects that will drive more economic growth and environmental benefits to other states, replicating what the Glenrowan Farm is doing for the community now.
The VRET scheme is a great first step to encourage the growth of Australian renewable manufacturing. As Australia looks to lead to energy transition, we must fully embrace the Victorian government’s commitment to achieving 100% renewable consumption for its operations by 2025.
