News

Australian Solar Enterprises (ASE) has lodged a referral for its proposed Tumuruu Solar Farm, to be located 3.5km north of Bluckbutt in Queensland, with the federal environmental regulator for assessment.

The project, as currently planned, will have a solar capacity of approximately 270 MW AC / 400 MW DC and a 100 MW BESS connected to the Powerlink network.

The development area covers around 400 hectares of a 700-hectare project site. The remainder of the site will be retained as rural and likely will be used for cattle.

Two existing 275KV transmission lines run through the site, reducing the need to erect additional transmission lines in the local area.

More than 100 construction jobs will be created over 12-18 months, with 6-10 jobs during ongoing operations.

It’s planned to use Jurchen Technology's PEG system for panel mounting, comprised of a top plate, ground plate and steel rod approximately 0.9-1.2m high.

In the Tumuruu referral ASE said, “The system is self-stabilising and does not require concrete foundations or permanent footings, meaning the project avoids concrete use and minimises ground disturbance.”

“Installation of the mounting system is relatively low impact and does not require extensive heavy machinery. The design also avoids underground trenching for the mounting system, resulting in reduced excavation requirements and lower soil disturbance compared with conventional piling or concrete footing systems. The simplified installation approach also reduces construction complexity and associated WHS risks (eg. limited working-at-heights requirements).”

The Jurchen PEG technology has traditionally been used in Australia to date on 5 MW AC or less projects.

Brisbane-based Red Hill Renewable Energy was considering using the PEG system for its 900 MW DC Rutherglen Solar Project near Bororen in the Gladstone Regional Council LGA in Queensland. However the solar component of the project was consequently dropped with just the BESS retained.

ASE is also trying to simplify the inverter and BESS container installation process by using an engineered screw-pile footing system to form a stable, load-bearing platform, “typically requiring limited excavation and reducing construction impacts compared to full concrete slab foundations”.

The South Burnett Regional Council approved the Tumuruu Solar Farm in late 2023. 

Image sourced from Jurchen Technology's website.