National and international businesses are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in solar generation on former farmland.
Solar farms are already generating power for the grid at Numurkah, Stanhope and Girgarre, with more approved to arrive on stream at Lemnos, Numurkah, Stanhope, Tatura East, Congupna and Wunghnu.
An 18 megawatt (MW) solar farm proposed by Goulburn Valley Community Energy with a commercial partner, just south of Mooroopna on Toolamba Rd, is currently awaiting approval.
The former City of Greater Shepparton spearheaded a campaign in the 1980s to brand Shepparton the ‘solar city’, and even installed several solar-powered parking meters, but the campaign fizzled out over the years.
GV Community Energy chief executive Geoff Lodge said the rise in solar farms had many positive prospects for the region, and the 1980s campaign did not gain much traction because it was not supported by a compelling business case.
In one sense the program was ahead of its time and the introduction of electricity grid feed-in tariffs and rebates about 10 to 12 years ago had offered more commercial imperatives.
Commenting on the region's popularity for solar farms, Mr Lodge said it may be a combination of solar yield from radiation in the northern Victorian climate and the availability of the electricity grid, and demand for power.
“If you just looked at solar you would not build it in Shepparton but you'd go to Mildura, but if you base the power generation so far to the east you would get certain losses before it gets to the rest of the state.
“We have industry based right here that can use the power.”
Mr Lodge said the growth in solar farms was good for the region as it provided local generation of a power source, created economic benefits from construction and maintenance and made a contribution to a reduction in carbon which helped in tacking climate change.
“This will provide more resilience in our ongoing supply.”
“If we continue to rely on what we did in the past we are doomed.”
Mr Lodge said the total area occupied by the solar farms was miniscule in comparison to the area already occupied by agriculture.
“If there was a situation where we were taking up 30 per cent of the agricultural land I would be the first to protest, because I come from an agricultural background and I know its importance, but the current proposals occupy less than one per cent.”
In the applications currently listed on the DELWP website (all solar farms have to go to the state government for approval) the $48 million Congupna solar farm will generate about 68 MW, the $175 million Lemnos site 100 MW, the Stanhope site 30 MW, the $34 million Tallygaroopna site 30 MW and the Wunghnu site 100 MW.
The solar farm already operating at Numurkah by Neoen generates 128 MW.
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