Earlier this month, Enernet Global and Delta Electricity signed a power purchase agreement for the sale of 87GWh of energy to be generated from a 62 MW solar farm at the 52-year old, 1,320 MW Vales Point coal-fired power station. Delta bought the utility in 2015 for a mere $1 million.
Alion Energy’s Storm Tracker will be the exclusive single-axis solar tracker solution for the solar farm.
The solar farm, located on an 80-hectare area of rehabilitated land at Vales Point’s coal ash dam off Ruttleys Road, Mannering Park, will generate renewable power sufficient to power about 20,000 homes. The project is an interesting example of a fossil-based power utility co-existing with a solar facility.
The location presents special challenges for the installation of standard solar panels using pile-driven or screw-piles. Alion Energy’s solution instead uses a foundation of an above-ground concrete ballasted rail (not a steel pile). This method keeps the structure out of the corrosive sub-soil ash and provides a design life of 50 years.
“We can construct on sites that no one else can, turning unproductive sites into profit-making assets!” said Mark Kingsley, CEO of Alion Energy, in a statement.
Alion’s solution also includes an automated robot (pictured above) to carry out cleaning, inspections, and maintenance, resulting in lower O&M costs and better system up-time.
Other innovative features of the Storm Tracker include 50% less weight, resistance to winds up to 105 mph, and the facility to use local concrete suppliers.
Read the Alion Energy Media Release HERE.
Image Source: Alion Energy