{"id":29771,"date":"2019-04-24T06:45:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T20:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=29771"},"modified":"2019-04-24T06:45:28","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T20:15:28","slug":"solar-farm-water-corporations-mb1027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-farm-water-corporations-mb1027\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Power Deal To Help Keep Water Bills Down In Victoria"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kiamal<\/p>\n

Thirteen of Victoria\u2019s water corporations have banded together to buy electricity from Kiamal Solar Farm in north-west Victoria, at a rate cheaper than would have been possible acting individually.<\/p>\n

Construction of\u00a0 stage 1 of Kiamal solar farm near Ouyen – approximately 100 km south of Mildura – commenced last year. By October 2018, project developer Total Eren had already signed three Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for Kiamal – with Mars Australia, Flow Power and Alinta Energy.<\/p>\n

The 256.5MWp (200MWac) Stage 1 of Kiamal will be comprised of 720,000 Canadian Solar panels<\/a> (KuMax modules1<\/a><\/sup> mounted on single-axis trackers. The project is expected to commence commercial operations in the middle of this year.<\/p>\n

A second stage of up to 194MWp is to follow and Total Eren will also explore the possibility of adding 380MWh of energy storage; which has already been approved.<\/p>\n

The deal between Kiamal and the thirteen Victorian water corporations will enable each participant to purchase between 20 to 50 per cent of their total electricity needs from the solar farm and slash carbon dioxide emissions by 80,000 tonnes each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to see our state\u2019s water corporations working together on this innovative new model, which will not only help protect our environment into the future but also keep water bills affordable for Victorians,” said<\/a> Victorian Minister for Water, Lisa Neville.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How Much For The Solar Electricity?<\/h2>\n

Figures weren’t revealed regarding how much the corporations, which have formed a company named Zero Emissions Water Ltd (ZEW), will be paying per megawatt-hour for the solar electricity. It seems the deals struck with the original Kiamal PPA players were similarly hush-hush, although Flow Power commented it was “really cheap<\/a>” – well below market rates.<\/p>\n

There are 19 water corporation<\/a> across the state; so around two-thirds are involved. According to Yarra Valley Water<\/a>, they are:<\/p>\n