Solar Power Shines In Wonthaggi

State Coal mine solar panels

Solar energy was in the spotlight in the Victorian town of Wonthaggi on Friday, with the unveiling of a PV system at its Civic Centre and a solar + storage installation at an old coal mine.

Wonthaggi is a town situated around 130 kilometres south east of Melbourne in the Bass Coast Shire region.

Wonthaggi Civic Centre PV

On Friday, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio officially opened a 100kw solar power system at the Wonthaggi Civic Centre; a project delivered by Bass Coast Shire Council with the assistance of $58,460 in funding from the Victorian Government’s Local Government Energy Saver Program.

The goal of the program is to assist at least of 22 resource-constrained regional councils in the state to scope, prioritise and roll out energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades on their existing buildings and facilities.

The Wonthaggi Civic Centre installation is expected to save the council almost $40,000 a year on its electricity bills.

Wonthaggi Civic Centre solar PV

“We’re helping regional councils take control of their energy costs – so they can invest more in the essential services their communities need,” said Minister D’Ambrosio.

Solar + Energy Storage For State Coal Mine

Also on Friday, the minister flicked the switch on a 91kW solar power + 41kWh battery storage system installed at the State Coal Mine.

State Coal Mine – solar + battery storage

The State Coal Mine is a former state government-owned mine that operated from 1909 until 1968. The mine, which produced almost 17 million tonnes of coal for Victoria’s industries and railways, is now part of a state park and a tourist attraction.

The Old Energy, New Energy project is an Energy Innovation Co-op initiative. Electricity generated by the system will be sold to Parks Victoria, with the income contributing towards the Southern C.O.R.E (Community Owned Renewable Energy) Fund.

The project was supported with $241,000 from the Victorian Labor Government’s New Energy Jobs Fund.

“It’s great to see a facility that was once used to mine coal now leading the way when it comes to renewable energy in tourism,” stated Minister D’Ambrosio. “We want to see more sites like this one transition to renewables – we’re delivering the investment needed to support that transition.”

Energy Innovation Co-op says “the system will produce 127 MW clean power per annum” – that’s assumed to mean 127MWh¹. Current annual consumption at the site is 112MWh.

The two systems officially launched on Friday will give a nice boost to Wonthaggi’s already substantial <100kW system capacity numbers. According to the latest available information from Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator, Wonthaggi’s postcode (3995) was home to more than 1,325 small-scale solar power systems at the end of March, with a collective capacity of around  5.25MW.