Contractors installing SunSHIFT’s movable solar farm at the Century Zinc Mine and processing plant.Movable solar company SunSHIFT is moving up in the world. The Sydney-based firm landed a new deal to power the Century Zinc Mine, a New Century Resources site located in Queensland.
The portable and scalable system will be built with SunSHIFT’s one-megawatt modules, or “blocks,” of steel-framed solar panels. The array will supply power to the mine and zinc processing site for less than $120/MWh under a flexible power purchase agreement—a fraction of the $400/MWh New Century Resources has been paying to run diesel equipment.
The 120-kilowatt project “pays for itself purely off the avoided diesel consumption,” according to Utilities Manager Michael Pitt. The company is looking at installing up to 15 additional megawatts of relocatable solar over the next few years as it begins producing zinc concentrate from the tailings left by the previous owner of the mine.
SunSHIFT plans to unveil a “multi-megawatt” deal with a multinational by the end of November, starting with 1 MW and growing to about 10 MW, according to General Manager Will Rayward-Smith.
Read more in the Australian Financial Review.