Currently helping to support Melbourne’s tram network, Victoria’s largest solar farm is now fully operational.
The $198 million Numurkah Solar Farm was officially opened last week by the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio and Moira Shire Mayor, Cr Libro Mustica.
The 515ha solar farm, situated about 5km east of Wunghnu, is currently one of only two solar farms supplying 100 percent renewable energy to offset Melbourne’s entire tram cost.
The facility will generate approximately 255,000 megawatt hours of clean, renewable energy into the national power grid each year. The emissions reduction delivered by this solar farm will be the equivalent of taking 75,000 cars off the road or planting 390,000 trees.
The Numurkah Solar Farm is part of the Renewable Certificate Purchasing Initiative and Solar Trams Initiative, which is leveraging around $720 million in capital expenditure and creating 755 construction jobs and 33 ongoing jobs, all in regional Victoria.
Ms D’Ambrosio said, “The Numurkah Solar Farm will play an important role in supporting the transformation of our energy system towards clean, renewable energy and reaching our renewable energy target of 50 percent by 2030.
“This is Victoria’s largest solar farm – we’re proud to have supported a project that has delivered hundreds of jobs in regional Victoria.”
Victoria’s Renewable Energy Target (VRET) is increasing to 50 percent by 2030, meaning more clean energy is getting pumped back in to the grid, increasing investment and driving down energy prices.
It is expected that if the VRET target of 40 percent by 2025 is achieved, this will drive around $7.2 billion in investment and create more than 10,000 jobs, as we boost the amount of energy generated by renewable sources.
