28 of September, 2021. Ingeteam has signed a supply contract with Green Light Contractors Pty Ltd. (subsidiary of Elecnor S.A.) for what is set to be, once completed, the largest solar farm in Australia.
The New England Solar Farm is being developed by leading renewable energy developer UPC\AC Renewables Australia across two solar fields near Uralla in the New England region of NSW.
The solar farm will be built in two stages, with the first 400MW (AC) stage and the 33/330 kilovolt (kV) substation being installed by Green Light Contractors, across the northern section of the site.
Once fully constructed, the project is expected to produce 1,800,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean, renewable electricity each year; enough to power more than 250,000 typical NSW homes.
The design and planning of this farm allows for sufficient space for sheep to graze freely between the rows of solar panels installed on a single axis tracking system.
Juan Miguel Gutiérrez, director of Ingeteam Australia Pty Ltd., stated that “the signing of this contract represents the culmination of almost three years of long, hard work by an extensive team of professionals, not just from the sales department but also from the R&D department”. He went on to emphasize “the importance of the work carried out by colleagues in the pre-sales team, the PPC team and the team developing the simulation models, which are critical elements for the grid studies required by Australia’s grid operator”.
For this first stage, Ingeteam will supply seventy-two 6.56 MW power stations, delivered as a turnkey solution in order to facilitate and minimize the installation and commissioning tasks. Specifically, each power station houses four 1.64 MW solar inverters, the power transformer, medium voltage switchgear, auxiliary services panel, auxiliary services transformer and UPS. Furthermore, Ingeteam will also supply two of its power plant controller (PPC) systems.
The signing of this contract serves to strengthen Ingeteam’s position as the second leading manufacturer of solar inverters in the Australian market, thanks to numerous solar farms equipped with Ingeteam technology, such as the 56 MW Moree Solar Farm, which was also constructed by Green Light Contractors Pty Ltd., and which went into operation in May 2016.
The manufacture and delivery of the equipment to be supplied by Ingeteam will be undertaken in the second half of 2021 and the commissioning of The New England Solar Farm project is estimated to start in the first quarter of 2022.
“We are looking forward to working with INGETEAM in what is called to be the biggest solar farm in Australia” said Carlos Miralles, GLC´s EPC Director.
The Ingeteam supply
For this project, Ingeteam is to supply:
- 288 central solar inverters with 1500V technology. The inverter model is the INGECON SUN 1640TL B630.
- Seventy-two 6.56 MW Full Skid power stations, fitted with all the equipment required for low to medium voltage conversion (solar inverters, transformer and MV switchgear, LV panel, auxiliary services transformer, etc.).
- Two INGECON SUN Power Plant Controller (PPC) systems.
- Project commissioning.
About the Ingeteam group
Ingeteam is an international technology group specializing in energy conversion. Its technological development in power and control electronics (inverters, frequency converters, controllers and protections), rotary electric machines (Indar motors, generators and submersible motor & pump sets), systems (integration of electromechanical engineering and automation), and operation & maintenance services, allow Ingeteam to offer solutions for sectors such as wind, solar PV, hydro and fossil fuel power generation, metal processing, marine, rail traction and the electricity grid, including the substations and covering transmission and distribution, always striving to optimize power generation and consumption.
The Ingeteam Group operates throughout the world, with permanent facilities in 24 countries, employing more than 4,000 persons. R&D&i is the backbone of its business activity, in which more than 5% of the company’s turnover is invested annually.
About UPC\AC Renewables Australia
UPC\AC Renewables Australia is owned by UPC Renewables and AC Energy.
UPC-formed companies have assets comprising over 10GW of solar and wind in operation, under construction and in development. UPC Renewables, operates 13 offices globally, with 11 offices in 9 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific region. UPC has a proven history of being a successful early entrant in new markets and tackling complex projects. Utilizing advanced technology and tailored business strategies, UPC has been helping many countries accelerate their renewable energy ambitions.
AC Energy is the energy platform of Ayala, one of the largest business groups in the Philippines.
AC Energy is one of the fastest growing energy companies with over $1 billion of invested and committed equity in renewable and thermal energy in the Philippines and around the region.
The company aspires to exceed 5GW of attributable capacity and generate at least fifty percent of energy from renewables by 2025.