A solar and battery storage system using “left over” PV modules has been installed at the site of a solar farm being built in Victoria, to slash the use of diesel in the construction of the large-scale project.

Enel Green Power Australia along with contractor Beon Energy Solutions are developing the 93MW Girgarre solar farm west of Shepparton in the north of Victoria, having kicked off construction in September of last year.

The companies say the site originally ran on generators that used almost 6,000 litres of diesel a month to power several office spaces, toilet blocks, and break and meeting rooms.

They expect the rooftop solar and battery based hybrid power station to reduce on-site consumption of the costly and polluting fossil fuel by a sizeable 88 per cent.

Repurposing leftover panels for the task is particularly inspired. Beon says that for jobs like Girgarre it orders extra solar panels to ensure there is enough supply to combat any breakage or faulty units and there are often panels left over. This is a way to put them to good use.

Solar panel reuse is considered to be one of the key tools to address Australia’s looming PV waste problem, with many modules discarded well before the end of their working lives.

Some experts have argued Australia is wasting a massive opportunity to re-use second-hand solar panels, both as a way to prevent them from going to landfill and as a major market opportunity.

But there are also barriers – not least the regulatory barriers around getting second-hand panels certified for re-use, to ensure they are safe and do, indeed, still work to a satisfactory level.

For developers of large-scale solar projects, however, where the contractors include experienced and qualified electricians – and likely have an inside line on good sources of used panels – it seems like a no-brainer.

Left over PV panels and battery storage help solar farm builders dump diesel | RenewEconomy

How do you power a solar farm construction site? Usually with diesel generators. A Victorian project has opted for battery storage and left over PV panels.

^{Sophie Vorrath (RenewEconomy)}