The installation of five megawatts of solar at Northern Star’s Carosue Dam represents the first of Western Australia’s Clean Energy Future Fund projects to be operational.
Nomadic Energy’s 5MW of solar installation at the gold mine near Kalgoorlie will generate clean energy for the mine and reduce emissions by displacing diesel and natural gas use.
The project was a recipient of $1 million in the first round of the State Government’s Clean Energy Future Fund, which supports innovative clean energy projects and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Nomadic Energy used the funding to employ an innovative Maverick mounting system from Australian company 5B which sees solar panels deployed in a concertina pattern that creates alternating east and west facing panels.
The resulting structure is quicker and more cost effective to deploy.
During the final phase of installation, Nomadic Energy installed and commissioned 2MW of generating capacity in under three weeks. This included a record 600kW of solar capacity deployed in a single day by a team of just four people.
Western Australian Climate Action Minister, Reece Whitby, said the Clean Energy Future Fund is achieving its goals of supporting innovative clean energy projects and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“To meet the state’s net zero by 2050 target, we need projects like this that address challenging emissions sources with technologies having strong potential for wider adoption,” Mr Whitby said.
“Each year, the Nomadic Energy project will displace 5,621 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, equivalent to taking 1,800 cars off the road.”
Western Australian Energy Minister, Bill Johnston, said the Nomadic Energy project will generate more than 8,800 megawatt hours of energy each year, enough to power 1,700 Western Australian homes.
“I’m impressed that the number of clean energy generation projects is becoming an increasing trend at mine sites and Nomadic Energy should be congratulated on setting a new standard for industry,” Mr Johnston said.
The project also uses an innovative business model, where Nomadic Energy retains ownership of the solar system and contracts to supply energy to Northern Star. This reduces complexity and risk for mine operators and facilitates redeployment.
The flexibility to redeploy the solar panels removes a key barrier to using green energy at mine sites, where a mine may cease operating before the cost of the solar panels has been recovered.
The $19 million Clean Energy Future Fund is administered by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, with support from Energy Policy WA.
Two rounds of funding have been awarded since its launch in April 2020, providing $14 million to nine innovative projects across Western Australia.
The seven Round 2 projects are expected to create hundreds of jobs and avoid over two million tonnes of carbon emissions over their working lives, rising to over 120 million tonnes if the two pilot projects result in commercial scale deployment.
More information on the Clean Energy Future Fund and a form to subscribe for email updates can be found at www.wa.gov.au/ceff.
