Queensland's largest solar array switched on

The University of Queensland’s (UQ) Gatton Solar Research Facility was last week opened by Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane, who said it was “an honour to be the one to throw the switch on such a significant solar project”.

The 3.275 MW facility comprises more than 37,000 thin-film photovoltaic panels, mounted on the Gatton campus’s 10 ha former airstrip. With the ability to power more than 450 Queensland homes and displace the equivalent of 5600 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, it is the largest solar array in the state.

Image credit: Adam Harper.

Project partner First Solar managed the facility’s engineering and construction and supplied the panels. First Solar Asia-Pacific Regional Manager Jack Curtis said the facility’s advanced capability and research potential was unrivalled almost anywhere in the world and will be “a showcase for the region”.

UQ Solar director Professor Paul Meredith explained that the facility would be a game changer in renewables research. He stated, “This research is about improving the way that we integrate solar into our state’s overall energy mix. It also works towards establishing and proving the business model for solar generation in Australia at the megawatt scale.

“Queensland gets about 2700 hours of sunlight a year. This site turns that into energy, and into knowledge about how to better service local, national and international energy needs through effective solar technologies.”

For the first time in Australia, multiple PV mounting technologies including fixed-tilt, single-axis and dual-axis tracker technologies will be in operation side by side in the same field to inform electrical and economic performance. In a world first, the project features “state-of-the-art, thin-film panels, configured in tracking and non-tracking geometries”, said Professor Meredith.

Professor Meredith added that the Gatton facility will work as a test bed for off-grid applications such as remote communities or mining settlements. The plant will also include battery storage to improve understanding of the value of short- and medium-term energy storage, its impact on the quality of power supply and any resulting economic benefits.

The project is part of research collaboration between UQ, the University of New South Wales, First Solar and AGL PV Solar Holdings, an affiliate of AGL. It is supported by a $40.7 million Education Investment Fund program grant administered by the Department of Education.

“This facility will not only benefit the university in terms of its own electricity supply, but the knowledge coming from the research will enable the global community to be better equipped in addressing energy security needs,” Macfarlane said.