King Island enters a new era of clean energy after Hydro Tasmania installed a $4.5M solar farm that promises to replace 300,000L of diesel on the island every year.
In gaining development approval for the 1.5MW solar installation on the site of King Island’s Huxley Hill Wind Farm, Hydro Tasmania aims to offset an additional 800t of CO2 per annum.
Adding more solar to the King Island system allows Hydro Tasmania to diversify its renewable generation portfolio on the Bass Strait islands.
The project is intended to increase the amount of renewable energy produced on King Island, while decreasing reliance on diesel-generated electricity.
Construction on the King Island solar farm is expected to begin early in 2023 and be completed by June 2023.
Hydro Tasmania Specialist Electrical Engineer, Simon vander Aa, said, “It’s part of our ongoing commitment to reduce our emissions on King Island, this allows us to leverage off the work done in developing our high-penetration renewable system.”.
The solar project will be located on Hydro Tasmania land and will form part of the existing King Island Renewable Integration Project (KIREIP), a world-leading, hybrid, off-grid power system.
It is expected to remain in operation for at least twenty years.