Epuron Solar has completed commissioning of an expansion of the Uterne Solar Plant in Alice Springs. The plant, which was constructed for Epuron Solar by SunPower, will substantially increase the amount of cost-competitive, solar-generated electricity supplied to the local Alice Springs electricity network which is operated by the Northern Territory's Power and Water Corporation. Standing behind this project is a long term power purchase agreement backed by Territory Generation and financing provided by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
The newly constructed expansion has increased the capacity of the Uterne Solar Plant from 1 megawatt to 4.1 megawatts. The additional capacity means Alice Springs now has one of the highest penetration levels of solar in the country.
"We are delighted to add the Uterne expansion to our growing portfolio of operational solar assets," said Martin Poole, Epuron Solar Executive Director. "Uterne is the largest solar farm in Australia with sun tracking technology which captures more energy consistently throughout the day."
"Power and Water Corporation is proud to have facilitated the development of solar projects in Alice Springs," said Trevor Horman, Manager of Sustainable Energy. "We have been a strong supporter of solar energy in the Northern Territory for over twenty years."
CEFC CEO Oliver Yates said: "It's pleasing to be supporting a project that is so important for the future of Alice Springs, demonstrating the potential for regional Australian communities to benefit from clean, cost-effective, locally generated solar energy."
"Expanding Uterne demonstrates Epuron Solar's commitment to deploying more clean energy in Australia. We're pleased to continue supporting utilising SunPower's high efficiency solar technology and 30 years of industry experience," said Jorg Heinemann, SunPower executive Vice President, Power Plants.
About Epuron Solar:
Epuron Solar is a leading, privately-owned Australian renewable energy company with a focus on the development, ownership and operation of utility-scale solar energy projects.
The expansion of Uterne will increase Epuron Solar's total operational solar portfolio capacity to over 5 megawatts. In addition to Uterne, Epuron Solar owns and operates three off-grid solar projects located in the Northern Territory. These projects all displace diesel usage in remote communities.
For more information, visit www.epuron.com.au
About Power and Water Corporation:
Power and Water Corporation is responsible for electricity transmission and distribution and provides water and sewerage services across the Northern Territory, an area of more than 1.3 million square kilometres.
Power and Water also supplies electricity generation and retail services to 72 remote communities and 66 outstations through its not-for-profit subsidiary, Indigenous Essential Services Pty Ltd (IES).
For more information, visit www.powerwater.com.au.
About Territory Generation:
Territory Generation is the largest electricity producer in the Northern Territory, owning 592MW of installed capacity and contracting an additional 40MW from Independent Power Producers for supply to our customers.
Territory Generation produces more than 2000GWh of electricity a year using gas, diesel and solar technologies to power Territory towns.
For more information, visit www.territorygeneration.com.au.
About SunPower:
SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) designs, manufactures and delivers the highest efficiency, highest reliability solar panels and systems available today. Residential, business, government and utility customers rely on SunPower's 30 years of experience and guaranteed performance to provide maximum return on investment throughout the life of the solar system. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia.
For more information, visit www.sunpower.com.
About Clean Energy Finance Corporation:
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) invests using a commercial approach to overcome market barriers and mobilise investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and low emissions technologies. Since its inception, the CEFC has committed over $1.4 billion in finance to investments in clean energy projects valued at over $3.5 billion.
The CEFC invests for a positive financial return, with more than 55 direct investments and 34 projects co-financed under aggregation programs. These projects help to improve energy productivity for businesses across Australia, develop local industries and generate new employment opportunities.