MAJURA VALLEY COMMUNITY SOLAR FARM

Our Flagship Project

We are delivering a 1MW solar project opportunity in the Majura Valley on the outskirts of Canberra. This will be the largest community owned solar facility in Australia and we are very pleased to be able to develop this for the Canberra community.    

Quick Statistics

  • 5,000 solar modules
  • Co-owned by 400 to 600 local community members
  • Power for approximately 250 Canberra homes
  • 1.8 GWh of electricity each year
  • 1600 Tonnes CO2 abatement each year
  • 3 hectares

Location

Nestled between the old Majura Rd and the new Majura bypass the site will be on the Majura valley tourism trail and be a part of an area which demonstrates the bush capital vision of Canberra. The area combines local agriculture and produce with nearby institutions like the Winery and Truffle farm and can now boast to being a focal point for local communities transitioning to a renewable future through innovation in sustainability. A map of the proposed site is shown below (click the image for a larger view): Triangular shaped project site located on the wedge of land at the intersection of Majura Rd and Majura by pass. We have had some great feedback from community stakeholders in the nearby areas and are very interested in any feedback, questions, queries or comments on this proposal from any member of the community.  Please send any feedback to feedback@solarshare.com.au.

Below you’ll find some of our letters of support. This site has been in Development by solar developer Solar Fields who has already completed studies and investigations into the suitability of the site. You can view a selection of these below, Please note that the block to the south is also being used for a solar project (but not one by SolarShare), some of the documents below cover approvals for the whole (combined) site:

Funding and Finance

 

While it is a sizeable project for the ACT, it will not be the largest by any means.

As a comparison, it will be roughly 5% of the size of the array which is installed on the Monaro highway at Royalla. We estimate participation from 400 to 600 community members, with investments ranging between $500 and $100,000 per member. The major portion of the shareholder investments will go towards setting up the solar farm, including equipment purchase and construction costs. The various components of the cost include civil works, installation labour, electrical work, grid connection hardware, cables, breakers, inverters and of course, the solar panels. SolarShare is part of the ACT government’s Community Solar initiative to sell the electricity under a Feed in Tariff contract.Under the ACT Government’s community solar initiative, SolarShare will be able to sell the energy into the energy network and receive 19.56c for each kilo-Watt-hour (kWh) for electricity generated. As a comparison, electricity for homeowners costs around 25 c/kWh in the ACT (1 December 2018). Each year the plant is projected to earn over $360,000 in revenue. The profits from this sale of electricity will be returned to our member investors.

 

Technology and equipment

The solar PV modules are mounted in arrays facing solar North providing maximum capture of the available sunlight. The final selectionPV modules will be made from a short list of top tier brands which includes Trina and Q-Cells. The PV modules are connected to three phase string inverters which deliver an efficiency more than 98% and provide a 10 years product warranty.

The solar arrays will be mounted on mounting brackets which are positioned into place utilising laser locators to ensure accuracy and correct siting. The mounting system is specially designed for the installation of solar PV modules and supports penetrate the ground to a level of no more than 1600mm reducing the environmental effects of the project and do not require any concrete.

A DC array of 1,260kW has been selected to accompany the 1MW ac generator; this ensures that the full MW of production can be in use for a greater period throughout the day.

The solar PV power generation system will utilise both DC and AC over voltage protection and external surge diverters to protect the equipment against environmental impact and include DC and AC isolators for safe operation and maintenance.

To ensure maximum efficiency and reliability, certified DC and AC cabling will be installed to minimize the power losses and to meet local and national electrical regulations.

A main distribution panel with customer metering, protection relay and monitoring equipment will be installed and will be designed to meet Evo Energy (previously known as ActewAGL Distribution) requirements and regulations. Perimeter protection fencing is proposed with signage and a locked access gate.

 

Project Risk Management

As with any development that relies on future returns, there is an element of risk in investing in a solar farm. The solar industry has had a history of volatility regarding equipment and subsidy pricing. Equipment prices may vary between project conception and construction, due to global fluctuations in supply or demand of solar equipment or aspects such as exchange rates or other events with unforeseen economic impact. Currently, SolarShare’s officers and board have no reason to believe that such an event is likely to occur. However, due to their very nature, these unforeseen events cannot be predicted with certainty. SolarShare has a board of Directors that maintains and regularly updates the risk register. Our offer Information Statement contain a full description and disclosure of the risks the project may face. We strongly recommend you read this document in full before making a decision to invest. SolarShare’s insurance policy will cover replacement or repair needed due to equipment failures or other events which cause disruption in electricity generation. However, if due to unavoidable circumstances, the generator is out of service for a significant period, it would likely result in a loss of income. For a project selling power through a Feed in Tariff contract, if the Feed in Tariff legislation is repealed then the Feed in Tariff contact with the energy retailer may be revoked. SolarShare believes this to be unlikely, due to the large number of homeowners, businesses and other voters whose income from solar installation on their own private properties would also be reduced if the feed in legislation was repealed.

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Got Questions?

 

For questions about the Majura project in particular head to our project FAQ page.

Or for more general Q&A click here to visit our general FAQ.