0.5-MW Floating Solar Array at Wannon Water’s Brierly Basin

under construction

Australian solar and energy storage developer Enervest has kicked off construction of a 500-kW floating solar array at Wannon Water’s Brierly Basin in the state of Victoria, which it says will be the largest such installation in Australia. The project, located in Warrnambool, will use about 1,200 bifacial solar panels and is expected to generate more than 600 MWh of electricity annually. The floating solar system will be installed on the Brierly Basin, which stores raw and harvested water before it is pumped to the Warrnambool Water Treatment Plant for processing and distribution. The project is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 600 tonnes annually while helping to reduce electricity costs associated with water treatment operations. Floating solar was selected due to the large surface area available at the basin, with bifacial panels designed to capture sunlight from both sides to improve efficiency and ease maintenance.