Iberdrola has started commissioning its first wind-solar hybrid project, Port Augusta.
The renewable facility, located in the state of South Australia, combines 210MW of wind power with 107MW of photovoltaic power and has required an investment of A$500 million.
Comprising 50 wind turbines and 250,000 solar panels, the complex is the largest wind-solar hybrid farm in the southern hemisphere.
The plant will prevent the emission of 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year into the atmosphere and will be able to generate enough clean energy to supply the equivalent demand of 180,000 Australian households.
The project has been registered in the National Electricity Market Registry by the Australian Energy Market Operator.
The project thus enters the full generation phase with the commissioning of the photovoltaic modules, in addition to the wind power part of the installation, which began the first tests to export energy to the grid last April.
Spanish company Elecnor was responsible for building the plant’s substation and transmission line, as well as the storage areas and access roads. Vestas has manufactured and installed the 50 wind turbines of 4.2MW unit capacity in the wind farm; Longi has supplied the solar panels for the photovoltaic plant and Sterling&Wilson has been in charge of its construction.
The commissioning of Port Augusta will make a significant contribution to achieving South Australia’s ambitious targets; it hopes to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030.