SWAN Hill could help power the entire Melbourne tram network in a bold new proposal to drive renewable energy production in the region.
Victorian based company Australian Solar Group (ASG) has been trying to set up two solar farms in Swan Hill and Mildura under its $70 million privately funded “Project Traction”, with a combined storage capacity of 40 megawatts.
It has already received planning and environmental approvals from Swan Hill Rural City Council to develop a solar farm on Blackwire Reserve, just west of Tower Hill, along with a grid connection agreement with Powercor.
Now, it is working with the State Government to sign Public Transport Victoria up to a 20-year power purchase agreement to buy the electricity it generates from the two farms — estimated to be around 80 gigawatt hours a year — to power the whole Yarra Tram network.
If given the green light by the State Government, the plan would produce a reliable revenue source for the solar power investment and bring greenhouse gas emissions from metropolitan tram operations down by more than 100,000 tonnes.
ASG co-founder David Holland said construction of the Swan Hill farm would take around four months and employ at least 20 locals, with the first power expected to be produced from the site within six months of an agreement.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (May 20).
