5B Secures Largest Solar Order for Kalgoorlie Gold Mine Project
5B, an Australian solar technology innovator and recipient of the Solar Sunshot award, has announced its biggest order to date. This order involves providing solar components for an extensive hybrid renewable energy and battery project aimed at supporting the mining activities of Northern Star Resources, one of Australia’s leading gold producers.
Last week, Northern Star unveiled its ambitious Kalgoorlie Regional Renewable Energy Project, which will integrate 256 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity, 138 MW of solar energy, along with 140 MW and 300 MWh of battery storage in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.
Record-Breaking Installation Plans
Renew Economy reported that this venture will be Australia’s largest wind, solar, and hybrid energy installation, set to be outdone solely by forthcoming projects from the nation’s major iron ore miners located in the Pilbara region.
On Tuesday, 5B announced its role in this project, having been selected by developer Zenith Energy to supply 138 MW of its innovative, pre-fabricated Maverick PV units. These accordion-like solar units can be unfolded on-site with a forklift, significantly reducing installation time, labour efforts, and costs.
Reinforcing Industry Position
This order marks a significant milestone for 5B and solidifies its reputation as the “solar technology of choice for powering Australian mining operations.” The company proudly stated their technology, designed in Sydney and manufactured in Adelaide, offers a safe, fast, factory-quality, and economical method for large-scale solar installations.
5B’s involvement in the project was particularly highlighted by Zenith Energy CEO Hamish Moffat, who described it as a “blueprint for modern mining energy systems,” showcasing attributes like cost-effectiveness, cleanliness, scalability, reliability, and tangible benefits to local communities.
The substantial order for 5B’s solar units comes on the heels of their selection in May for initial funding from the federal Labor government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot initiative. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) allocated $46 million to 5B to enhance production capabilities at its Adelaide site, intending to ramp up output from approximately 100 kW daily (36 MW annually) to 200 MW over the next three years.
Anticipated Growth and Orders
5B’s CEO, David Griffin, noted that this funding could potentially reduce the cost of their technology by 25%. He mentioned that 5B had already received its largest order of over 100 MW from Zenith Energy, although details of the project were initially scarce. Griffin expressed optimism about future orders, considering the grant program a vital catalyst for increasing their order volume.
Griffin acknowledged the challenges of establishing a new technology in a market dominated by existing solutions, such as single-axis trackers, which are prevalent in Australia and globally. However, he believes that this programme allows clients to fully appreciate the commercial and technological benefits of 5B’s innovative offerings, making it easier to place orders and gain confidence in their solutions.
Energy Supply for Mining Operations
As part of the Kalgoorlie project, solar energy is expected to meet 70 per cent of the electricity demand for Northern Star’s Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM), which includes one of Australia’s largest open-pit gold mines, famously known as the super pit.
Zenith Energy will be responsible for constructing, owning, and operating the hybrid renewable project, having signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply energy to the KCGM operations. Additionally, Zenith has entered a joint venture with Northern Star to provide 120 MW of thermal generation to complement renewable sources and serve as a backup for KCGM, along with building a 132 kV transmission network and associated substations.
The project will also feature wind turbines supplied by Goldwind Australia, notable for their impressive height of 150 meters and rotor diameter of 182 meters, to be positioned roughly 10 kilometres from Kalgoorlie.
Further enhancing the operation’s sustainability, Zenith will implement a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 138 MW/300 MWh to optimise the delivery of renewable energy, with specifics on the battery supplier not yet disclosed.
Addressing Local Grid Challenges
Moffat highlighted that this renewable energy solution offers Northern Star economically advantageous power while also having the potential to improve energy reliability for Kalgoorlie, which suffers from grid vulnerabilities due to its remote location and susceptibility to adverse weather conditions.
The Western Australian government recently announced a tender for a $150 million vanadium flow battery project in Kalgoorlie to bolster the local grid’s stability. However, Northern Star’s proposal presented to the state’s EPA is more expansive in both scale and scope.
Despite being billed as the largest of its kind in Australia, the proposed 50 MW/500 MWh vanadium battery is part of Premier Roger Cook’s commitments during his government’s re-election campaign and promises to represent a significant advancement in energy storage technology.
The local government has initiated the first stage of a two-phase expression of interest (EoI) for the construction of the Kalgoorlie Vanadium Battery Energy Storage System (VBESS), attracting immediate attention from AVESS Energy, based in Perth. The managing director of AVESS, Young Yu, expressed confidence that their locally manufactured vanadium flow battery (VFB) solution, backed by cutting-edge technology and consortium expertise, could bring substantial economic benefits to the Goldfields while aiding in the reduction of carbon emissions in the grid.
