CSIRO and Macquarie University have teamed with the Australian arm of Philippines-based energy company Acen Corp to bring new precision to vegetation management, fire preparedness and daily operations at Acen’s New England Solar Farm site in New South Wales (NSW).
The New England facility is a 720 MW solar and battery project being built in stages across a 2,000-hectare site of mostly cleared grazing land near Uralla in northern NSW. The 400 MW first stage commenced operations in 2023 while the construction schedule for the 320 MW second stage is expected to be announced soon.
A 200 MW / 400 MWh battery energy storage system has also been built on site and is now undergoing final testings and commissioning.
The site is also home to more than 6,000 sheep that are grazing beneath the panels.
Acen is now working with researchers from CSIRO and Macquarie University to balance the competing demands of the agricultural activities and the day-to-day operation of the solar and battery facility.
The researchers are using satellite and drone imaging to map vegetation growth and associated fire risk across the entire site. Grass height, moisture and biomass all influence how a site is insured, maintained and grazed.
Those conditions are usually determined through manual processes. This project is using hyperspectral imagery from Germany’s environmental EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) satellite to measure vegetation down to a biochemical element.
CSIRO principal research scientist Cindy Ong said the biochemical detail will provide the solar farm operator with the ability to distinguish moist grass from dry, flammable fuel, and see how that biomass is distributed around assets such as transformers and cabling.
Ong said the data will allow fire risk to be determined in a quantitative form, helping inform which areas need grazing or slashing intervention.
“It can also help farmers better manage their grazing patterns and work collaboratively with the solar farm operator to balance both the fire risk and yield of a farm,” she said.
Acen Australia Managing Director David Pollington said the project has the potential to set an important example for the Australian renewable energy industry, demonstrating how renewable energy and productive agriculture can successfully coexist and deliver mutual benefits.
“Ultimately, it demonstrates that renewable energy projects can be partners in rural land stewardship, creating shared value for landholders, communities and the clean energy sector,” he said.
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