About the Green Power Hub Project
The Western Downs Solar Farm
Western Downs Green Power Hub is located in the Hopeland Region, almost 22km south-east of Chinchilla and 62km north-west of Dalby.
The project will be built by Sterling and Wilson and will be owned by Neoen. The 460MWp solar farm will be built on 1545 hectares of land, utilising 1,040,781 bi-facial PV modules to harness the suns energy. With irradiance values of up to 1,968 W/m2, the plant will be able to generate around 1,080 GWh a year. Western Downs Green Power Hub will also have the capacity of 150MW of battery storage which will be built after the PV plant is operational. The combination of a high sun exposure, robust transmission network and positive community backing makes it an ideal location for this renewable energy plant.
The project is expected to bring lasting benefits to the Western Downs community. During construction it is expected that around 400 people will be employed. During the Operation and Maintenance phase (20 years), it is expected to have 7-10 people full time for day to day operations.
Construction of the PV plant will start in July 2020, with commissioning beginning in December 2021.
The project will be built by Sterling and Wilson and will be owned by Neoen. The 460MWp solar farm will be built on 1545 hectares of land, utilising 1,040,781 bi-facial PV modules to harness the suns energy. With irradiance values of up to 1,968 W/m2, the plant will be able to generate around 1,080 GWh a year. Western Downs Green Power Hub will also have the capacity of 150MW of battery storage which will be built after the PV plant is operational. The combination of a high sun exposure, robust transmission network and positive community backing makes it an ideal location for this renewable energy plant.
The project is expected to bring lasting benefits to the Western Downs community. During construction it is expected that around 400 people will be employed. During the Operation and Maintenance phase (20 years), it is expected to have 7-10 people full time for day to day operations.
Construction of the PV plant will start in July 2020, with commissioning beginning in December 2021.
Project Stats
460MWp Output
1500 Hectare land
Future 150MW Battery Storage
Western Downs Queensland
Creating over 400 Jobs
1,080 GWh annually
The solar farm will utilise high-efficiency bi-facial monocrystalline PV modules. The modules will be mounted on a NEXTracker Inc. Single Axis Tracker that has been designed specifically for use with bi-facial PV modules. A combination of 6MVA and 3MVA inverter units provided by SMA, with transformers from Wilson Transformer Company will convert the DC power to AC power. Connection onto the Powerlink transmission distribution network will be via a 33kV/275kV substation located within the solar farm.
The Western Downs Green Power Hub will contribute significantly to the region’s status as the Energy Capital of Australia and will help to contribute to the state’s target of 50% renewable energy by 2030.
Ability to produce
1,080 GWh per year
Which is equivalent to
