Solar Power And Biogas Hub Launched In Adelaide’s South

The finishing touches are being put on South Australia’s first solar farm built on a covered landfill, situated in Adelaide’s south.

The project has been constructed at a Southern Region Waste Resource Authority (SRWRA) site in Seaford Heights. SRWRA was established by the Cities of Onkaparinga, Marion and Holdfast Bay to provide and operate waste management services for the three Councils.

The collective capacity of the 1,780 solar panels has been put at 600 kilowatts. Gas from the old landfill is also being captured to produce electricity, with both systems exporting to the grid.

An article on the Onkparinga Now web site states between the two generators, they’ll produce “25,000 megawatts of electricity per year” – assumed to mean 25,000 megawatt-hours. Megawatts is a measure of power, while megawatt-hours is a measure of energy¹.

“This innovative project demonstrates how the three councils are responding to the impacts of climate change, reducing emissions and building community resilience,” said City of Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson. “I’m excited to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and—through the under-construction SRWRA material recovery facility alongside the landfill site—also reduce our reliance on recycling companies.”

CEO of SRWRA Chris Adams said the project was an important step in transforming the Seaford Heights site into a resource recovery and sustainability centre that will be of benefit to the community “for generations”. The new recycling facility is expected to be operational in 2021.

This project doesn’t represent the first solar panels installed at the site. I noticed Google Earth showed a large shed with a rooftop covered in approximately 300 solar panels that have been in place since at least 2017.

A bit of digging around turned up a 2017 tender for 100 kW system to be installed on Treatment Facility Shed 1. Whether this system is included in panel number/capacity total mentioned above isn’t clear.

Other Landfill Solar Energy Projects In Australia

While the Seaford Heights solar farm may the first on an old tip in South Australia, the first PV power station on a reclaimed landfill in Australia to commence operations was at the Albury Waste Management Centre in New South Wales (1.1 MWac – 4,000 solar panels). This was soon followed by the commissioning of five-megawatt solar farm, also in NSW, on a capped landfill cell at Summerhill Waste Management Centre near Newcastle.

Among other reclaimed landfill PV projects still in the works is a 4.9MW solar power station in the Perth suburb of South Fremantle. When recently asked when that may go ahead, a frustrated Mayor Brad Pettitt said (see page 8), “how long is a piece of string?”

Another proposed project we’ve heard little more about in recent times is a much larger venture, and much more controversial when announced. News of the proposed development of a 27.5 MW solar plant in the Melbourne suburb of Springvale South wasn’t well-received by some of the area’s residents. The planning application was submitted in November 2018 and the original intention was to commence construction in the second half of 2021. But assuming the project is still in the pipeline it’s unlikely a start will be made next year.

At a City of Greater Dandenong Council meeting in May this year, a question was taken on notice regarding when the Springvale South Solar Farm application will be tabled at a Council meeting. In the June meeting it was mentioned Council Officers were still processing an application to amend an existing “Section 173 Agreement” (whatever that is) and that will need to be finalised first.