SOLAR FARMS
Utility-scale solar power is booming around the world but it comes with a range of challenges that must be overcome if a project is to be successful.
Green Tunnel has significant renewable energy development experience, from pre-feasibility right through to commissioning, optimising operations and asset management of off-grid power systems and utility-scale solar farms.
Our team works with you to overcome potential challenges when developing a solar project, helping to avoid pitfalls and maximising the success of your development. These challenges include community engagement, grid connection, planning approvals, design, implementation and unlocking project financing.
Partnering with our clients, we have built a strong understanding of solar layout design optimisation, detailed electrical design, power system studies and grid connection issues.
Green Tunnel is expanding the Business to Install and Manage SOLAR FARMS.
We are currently looking for solar farm sites to develop development with an investor, if you would be interested and meet the below criteria please contact us:
Site selection
An initial feasibility assessment will be undertaken to determine the suitability of the area to accommodate a solar farm. This feasibility assessment will be based on the following criteria:
A planning permit application will be lodged to your local Council.
Studies will be undertaken as part of the planning permit application included:
Electrical Connection
The electricity generated from the solar farm will be transmitted via internal overhead cabling to the national electricity grid. The project will connect to an on-site zone substation anticipated to be located locally.
The power generated from the Solar Farm will flow into the national electricity network.
Development and Design
The technical, economic, societal and environmental feasibility of each project is determined during the development stage via surveys of potential, soil and the impact on the environment and on biodiversity. The design enables the project to be set up according to the site and the available resources. During this phase, consultations are held with the parties concerned, including residents, communities, local politicians and authorities.
Finance
We finance our projects through a combination of our own capital and long-term loans based on the project itself (non-recourse financing). Our financial partners are diverse: commercial banks, multilateral or development. In some countries we finance our projects locally through crowd funding.
Construction Project Management
As a responsible construction project manager, we are directly involved in the construction work for the power plants we operate. We ensure that each plant is a sustainable asset, with a life span of several decades. As far as possible, we use the services of local industry.
Operations
We keep a close eye on the day-to-day running of our power plants around the world. Supervision and maintenance are undertaken on site, in real time.
Grid Connection
Understanding and communicating how a generator interacts with the power system is key to the success of a new generation project or upgrade.Whatever the type of generation, you need to investigate the risks you face through the connection and how to mitigate those risks.
Green Tunnel has intimate knowledge of both generator and power station controls and power systems, and we’ve supported the successful grid connection of a wide range of technologies including solar, hot water systems and batteries.
Our team is adept at determining cost-effective and appropriate methods of testing and modelling and we maintain strong working relationships and a good reputation with network companies and regulators, helping to streamline acceptance processes.
What is a solar farm?
A solar farm, sometimes referred to as a photovoltaic power station, is typically a large decentralized solar array supplying electricity to the power grid. The majority of these massive arrays are owned by utilities and are merely another asset for the utility to supply power to properties in their coverage area. A broader definition of solar farms could include other ground-mounted solar arrays large enough to supply power for many households. This general concept of a solar farm could be associated with both residential community solar and larger utility-scale solar.
Solar farms and community solar
The idea of community solar has taken off in recent years as more homeowners have realized that they can go solar without putting solar panels on their own physical roof. A community solar project—sometimes referred to as a “solar garden” or roofless solar —is a solar power plant whose electricity is shared by more than one household. In most cases, a community solar array is a large ground mount installation that spans one or many acres.
Visually, these solar gardens resemble utility-scale solar farms, but they are often smaller in size. Customers can either purchase a share of a solar garden and own that portion of the overall array or they can lease energy from the solar system and, in a sense, replace their monthly utility payments with monthly community solar payments that are typically at a lower price.
How much do solar farms cost?
Solar farms at the utility scale will typically be at least 1 megawatt (MW), which is a power plant capable of supplying some 200 households. Though cost will range based on a number of factors like location and available sunlight hours, top commercial provider First Solar has stated that the cost per watt for solar installations at this scale is somewhere around $1/watt. Therefore, you can assume that a 1 MW solar farm would cost roughly $1 million to install.
If that value sounds unusually low in comparison to typical costs associated with residential solar ($3 to $4 dollars per watt), it should. The “economies of scale” concept is in full effect with the solar industry.The largest solar system installed in the world is the Kamuthi Power Plant, which went live in December 2016 in India. The 648 MW array was bid at $0.93 per watt and can supply energy to over 150,000 households. It should be clarified that these massive solar plants are more commonly referred to as “solar farms” than smaller ground mount arrays often see with community solar projects. Solar systems at the scale of the Kamuthi Power Plant are the size of entire towns and thus take on the name “solar farm” to reference the size of the install.The term more commonly used with community solar is “solar gardens” due to the fact that the system could be only a few acres and could even live in someone’s backyard.
Green Tunnel has significant renewable energy development experience, from pre-feasibility right through to commissioning, optimising operations and asset management of off-grid power systems and utility-scale solar farms.
Our team works with you to overcome potential challenges when developing a solar project, helping to avoid pitfalls and maximising the success of your development. These challenges include community engagement, grid connection, planning approvals, design, implementation and unlocking project financing.
Partnering with our clients, we have built a strong understanding of solar layout design optimisation, detailed electrical design, power system studies and grid connection issues.
Green Tunnel is expanding the Business to Install and Manage SOLAR FARMS.
We are currently looking for solar farm sites to develop development with an investor, if you would be interested and meet the below criteria please contact us:
- Land area between 1-500 acres
- You own the land
- Within around 3km of a 33kV or 11kV line (we can check this for you)
- Free from shading
- Fairly flat and rock free
Site selection
An initial feasibility assessment will be undertaken to determine the suitability of the area to accommodate a solar farm. This feasibility assessment will be based on the following criteria:
- Availability of an abundant solar resource
- Proximity to an existing electricity substation with good connection capacity
- Adequate local electricity load with potential for growth
- Landholders supportive of developing a solar farm on their property
- Low environmental impact
- Low expected visual impact
- Suitable land in terms of:
- factors that affect solar yield and construction costs (e.g. proximity to existing substation)
- topography
- land area
- land zoning
- geology
- hydrology including flooding risk, and
- access to the site.
A planning permit application will be lodged to your local Council.
Studies will be undertaken as part of the planning permit application included:
- biodiversity
- heritage (including Aboriginal heritage)
- noise assessment
- hydrology and flooding
- soils
- traffic and transport, and
- bushfire risk.
Electrical Connection
The electricity generated from the solar farm will be transmitted via internal overhead cabling to the national electricity grid. The project will connect to an on-site zone substation anticipated to be located locally.
The power generated from the Solar Farm will flow into the national electricity network.
Development and Design
The technical, economic, societal and environmental feasibility of each project is determined during the development stage via surveys of potential, soil and the impact on the environment and on biodiversity. The design enables the project to be set up according to the site and the available resources. During this phase, consultations are held with the parties concerned, including residents, communities, local politicians and authorities.
Finance
We finance our projects through a combination of our own capital and long-term loans based on the project itself (non-recourse financing). Our financial partners are diverse: commercial banks, multilateral or development. In some countries we finance our projects locally through crowd funding.
Construction Project Management
As a responsible construction project manager, we are directly involved in the construction work for the power plants we operate. We ensure that each plant is a sustainable asset, with a life span of several decades. As far as possible, we use the services of local industry.
Operations
We keep a close eye on the day-to-day running of our power plants around the world. Supervision and maintenance are undertaken on site, in real time.
Grid Connection
Understanding and communicating how a generator interacts with the power system is key to the success of a new generation project or upgrade.Whatever the type of generation, you need to investigate the risks you face through the connection and how to mitigate those risks.
Green Tunnel has intimate knowledge of both generator and power station controls and power systems, and we’ve supported the successful grid connection of a wide range of technologies including solar, hot water systems and batteries.
Our team is adept at determining cost-effective and appropriate methods of testing and modelling and we maintain strong working relationships and a good reputation with network companies and regulators, helping to streamline acceptance processes.
What is a solar farm?
A solar farm, sometimes referred to as a photovoltaic power station, is typically a large decentralized solar array supplying electricity to the power grid. The majority of these massive arrays are owned by utilities and are merely another asset for the utility to supply power to properties in their coverage area. A broader definition of solar farms could include other ground-mounted solar arrays large enough to supply power for many households. This general concept of a solar farm could be associated with both residential community solar and larger utility-scale solar.
Solar farms and community solar
The idea of community solar has taken off in recent years as more homeowners have realized that they can go solar without putting solar panels on their own physical roof. A community solar project—sometimes referred to as a “solar garden” or roofless solar —is a solar power plant whose electricity is shared by more than one household. In most cases, a community solar array is a large ground mount installation that spans one or many acres.
Visually, these solar gardens resemble utility-scale solar farms, but they are often smaller in size. Customers can either purchase a share of a solar garden and own that portion of the overall array or they can lease energy from the solar system and, in a sense, replace their monthly utility payments with monthly community solar payments that are typically at a lower price.
How much do solar farms cost?
Solar farms at the utility scale will typically be at least 1 megawatt (MW), which is a power plant capable of supplying some 200 households. Though cost will range based on a number of factors like location and available sunlight hours, top commercial provider First Solar has stated that the cost per watt for solar installations at this scale is somewhere around $1/watt. Therefore, you can assume that a 1 MW solar farm would cost roughly $1 million to install.
If that value sounds unusually low in comparison to typical costs associated with residential solar ($3 to $4 dollars per watt), it should. The “economies of scale” concept is in full effect with the solar industry.The largest solar system installed in the world is the Kamuthi Power Plant, which went live in December 2016 in India. The 648 MW array was bid at $0.93 per watt and can supply energy to over 150,000 households. It should be clarified that these massive solar plants are more commonly referred to as “solar farms” than smaller ground mount arrays often see with community solar projects. Solar systems at the scale of the Kamuthi Power Plant are the size of entire towns and thus take on the name “solar farm” to reference the size of the install.The term more commonly used with community solar is “solar gardens” due to the fact that the system could be only a few acres and could even live in someone’s backyard.
