Australia’s largest renewables mining project in central Western Australia has successfully installed the first of 34,080 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Majority of the mine’s daytime electricity requirements will depend on solar PV, offsetting about 5 million litres of diesel each year or over 20 percent of total diesel consumption.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide $20.9 million for the $40-million project, which is set for completion in 2016. The government aims to provide a 10.6 MW of solar PV with storage installed at the DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine.

“Construction of the 10.6 MW solar plant is well underway. Around 4,700 steel posts are installed and mounting of the single-axis tracking system and solar panels has begun,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht.

Solar and storage can promote a “clear win-win” in many off-grid applications, he added. The new solar plant will be providing more “predictable running costs” that can be cheaper over the long term than diesel generators.

“ARENA maintains a strong focus on encouraging off-grid industries to adopt more renewable energy,” Frischknecht said. The knowledge sharing for the project could help reduce the cost of future projects, potentially increasing the mining industry’s confidence in renewables.

The engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of the facility will be handled by the solar engineering company juwi, while the construction company OTOC will undertake surveying and onsite construction and installation services. Recently, up to $15 million has been committed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation for the project.

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