Nextracker has announced that its solar tracker technology has been chosen for the largest solar plant in Australia, a 460 MWp project in Queensland Largest Solar Plant in Australia NX Horizon solar tracker featured on Moree Solar Farm (70 MW), NSW, Australia
Nextracker, a flex company, has announced that its solar tracker technology, NX Horizon has been chosen for the largest solar plant in Australia, a 460 megawatt-peak (MWp) installation in Queensland’s Western Downs. Independent power producer Neoen and the project’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor Sterling and Wilson selected Nextracker based on the company’s proven track record of delivering significant energy yield gains.
Installation of the trackers on Western Downs Green Power Hub is due to begin in 2021.
80 percent of the project was contracted to CleanCo, a Queensland Government Owned Corporation (GOC) under one of the country’s most substantial power purchase agreements to date. The project will help CleanCo reach its target of one gigawatt of newly installed renewable energy by 2025 and further the state’s broader target of 50 percent renewable electricity by 2030.
“We’re honoured to be chosen by leading global companies, Neoen and Sterling and Wilson for this project. This milestone power plant builds upon Nextracker’s existing portfolio of four gigawatts in Australia,” said Peter Wheale, managing director at Nextracker Australia & Oceania. “We have led the market by passionately delivering more customer value with best-in-class yield generation, client support and asset management technologies.”
The NX Horizon smart solar tracker system, as the firm claims, combines best-in-class hardware and software to help EPCs and asset owners maximise performance and minimise operational costs. Increased yield is achieved on projects using bifacial modules mounted on the firms’ 120-degree range of motion NX Horizon tracker. This includes a self-powered, independent-row system design in combination with the company’s patented TrueCapture technology, which has been proven on over 80 projects globally. Largest Solar Plant in Australia
The firm also stated that in testing conducted at its Center for Solar Excellence in Fremont, California, and independently verified by PV Evolution Labs, NX Horizon delivered up to 1.0 – 2.0 percent additional yield in bifacial applications compared to other traditional one-in-portrait trackers. In the case of Western Downs Green Power Hub, a gain of 1.5 percent would deliver over 15 gigawatt-hours per annum, or enough to power an additional 3,000 homes.