Modular solar specialist 5B’s pre-assembled and transportable Maverick solar solution has unfolded in another off-grid hybrid renewable energy project as the decarbonisation of Australia’s mining sector continues.
External energy specialist Zenith Energy has completed a 16.9 MW deployment of Australian manufacturer 5B’s prefabricated Maverick solar panel technology at a waste rock dump at Northern Star Resources’ Jundee gold mine operation in Western Australia.
The solar project, which includes 342 of the modular plug-and-play Maverick units, is part of the larger 46.6 MW Jundee mining hybrid renewable energy project, which is expected to meet approximately 56% of energy needs of the mine location.
The power plant, which also includes 24 MW of wind energy and a 12 MW/13.4 MWh battery energy storage system, is being supplied as part of a 15-year off-grid renewable energy purchase agreement (PPA) with Zenith.
Sydney-headquartered 5B said commissioning of the solar facility has begun, which will soon enable the integration of the new clean energy generation station with the existing gas-fired power station.
The Jundee project is the latest in a series of off-grid hybrid renewable energy projects being rolled out across mining operations in Western Australia.
Northern Star has also turned to renewable energy sources Carosue Dam And Porphyry mining sites, while Liontown Resources turned on a 95 MW power plant at its site earlier this month Kathleen Valley project also in the goldfields region of Western Australia. AngloGold Ashantis Tropicana mining activities and Bellevue Golds project of the same name has also signed PPAs for off-grid hybrid sustainable energy projects.
A regular feature of these projects is 5B’s Maverick system, a ground-mounted solar array of up to 90 PV panels mounted on specially designed frames that can be deployed and installed with minimal human labor. The modules are oriented in an accordion shape with a 10-degree slope and are electrically configured for quick installation.
Gerard Major, group manager of capital projects at Northern Star, said the system was ideally suited to the Jundee project as the technology allows unused land to be reused for productive solar energy generation.
“The 5B units’ low ground penetration technology, small footprint and high power density design have allowed us to leverage our existing waste rock landfill, freeing up a traditionally underutilized land resource for us to install clean renewable energy plants on,” he says. said.
The technology behind the Maverick has also secured 5B largest project to datewith the company awarded a 69 MW contract by a subsidiary of US-based energy giant AES Corporation.
The project, which also includes a 100 MW/400 MWh battery energy storage system, is being developed in a hurricane-prone area in Puerto Rico.
5B Chief Executive Officer David Griffin said the Maverick arrays, which are mounted on composite steel concrete beams, are designed to withstand extreme winds.
“This deal clearly demonstrates the ability of the 5B team and our 5B Maverick prefabricated solar panel technology to meet the scale, performance and cost requirements of our utility-scale customers,” he said.
Griffin said the Puerto Rico project is part of a growing sales pipeline that has skyrocketed due to declining module prices, which have fallen dramatically since January.
“The strength of our pipeline continues to increase, especially as module prices decline,” he said. “We are seeing more and more cases where 5B Maverick beats the single access tracker on a levelized energy cost basis, where labor and land are limited, and the cost of bringing people, equipment, materials and infrastructure to project sites is challenging.”
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