Energy Parks Australia today celebrated council approval to build one of Australia’s largest solar parks in Valdora on the Sunshine Coast, which will revolutionise the way power is managed in the region and boost the local Clean Tech industry.
Energy Parks Director, Jason Hague said the approval was great news for the Coast and always expected the submission would be well-received due to its alignment with Council’s vision to achieve 20% renewable energy by 2020.
“If the Sunshine Coast is going to be Australia’s most sustainable region and meet the impressive targets the council has set, projects such as ours are the way of the future and we are delighted to get the go-ahead to engage with partners and move forward with the solar park,” said Mr Hague.
“This is not a one-off project and we have as of today already submitted an application to Council for a second Energy Park, with a third in the pipeline. This approval sets the stage for an exciting low carbon energy future for the region, creating a localised renewable energy source. We are hoping the development will be a catalyst to drive local capacity, awareness and investment. We strongly believe this will see the Sunshine Coast become a leader in decentralised energy production utilising clean tech products and services.”
The Energy Parks Australia (EPA) model is based on identifying strategically located sites and building several energy parks across the Sunshine Coast that provide large scale photovoltaic (PV) deployments close to infrastructure and end-user demand.
The Valdora project will see the transformation of the 50-hectare site into a state-of-the-art solar park sporting approximately 50,000 solar panels which feed enough power into the local grid for approximately 2,500 Sunshine Coast homes. The solar panels will be located on 20 hectares of the cane land site with the surrounding 30 hectares either being rehabilitated as green space or used for agriculture to minimise impact on the local landscape.
The site will potentially include a commercial size bio fuel development showcasing an exciting alternative agricultural use of cane lands in the area. EPA are exploring the inclusion of a Pongamia Pinnata plantation as the hardy tree can be grown on marginal land and produce both stock feed and biofuel.
“We are very excited about incorporating future Energy Parks into Greenfields sites which will shape the future of the Coast and how, as a community we generate energy. This initiative has a significant impact on reducing electricity infrastructure costs, enabling development costs to go down and resulting in more affordable land for Sunshine Coast residents,” said Mr Hague.
“There’s pressure on every level to deploy green energy options which can cater for the ever increasing energy needs of 21st century communities in Australia – politically, socially and environmentally. This project can provide the blueprint to deliver real solutions for high demand locations across the country with significant benefit to the local economy.”
The Valdora Energy Park will be a $40 million plus venture and Energy Parks Australia is aiming to develop local partnerships to deploy the technology on the site.
Jock Howard, chairman of the Sunshine Coast Cleantech Industries (solar sub-sector) is a great supporter of the project and believes it is the only way forward.
“If we are planning to brand ourselves as leaders in sustainability, we need to support projects such as this and create a renewable energy hub which can act as a benchmark for others,” said Mr Howard.
“The Sunshine Coast has one of the highest up-take rates in cleantech products and we see more and more residents and businesses committed to implementing change with regard to sustainability and in particular renewable energy. This project will not only attract new investment to the Coast and generate employment opportunities; it will do so in an industry which will change our future.”
