Project Information
Gunning Solar Farm
Gunning Solar Farm is an early stage project under development located approximately 12km south west of Gunning in the Southern Tablelands region of NSW. The project consists of a large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) generation facility, including battery storage and associated infrastructure. Gunning Solar Farm will play an important role in providing stability to the network and reducing the market reliance on fossil fuel generation. The proposed project capacity is approximately 250MW, which would generate enough energy for over 76,000 homes*(Based on an average NSW household electricity consumption of 7.3 MWh annually.)
The footprint and scale of Gunning Solar Farm will be refined through the development of the project Environmental Impact Statement. Further detailed design will be completed prior to construction with a view to minimising environmental and social impacts. The project footprint and layout has been updated in response to community feedback and environmental constraints, and this revised layout has been presented in the EIS. The EIS was on public display until 12 December 2023.
Technical Summary
| System capacity: | 250 MW (solar farm) + 150 MW (battery) |
| Solar panels: | Canadian Solar Bifacial 690W+ panels |
| Type: | Single Axis Tracker Solar Array |
Gunning Solar Farm will create economic benefits to the local region through employment opportunities and promote regional development due to the use of local businesses. It is anticipated the project will complete construction and begin generating energy in late 2026.
Gunning Solar Farm is using Tier-1 Bifacial Canadian Solar panels, tailored for projects of this calibre. Our standards and systems ensure that we always work with highly experienced and reliable partners to provide the complete engineering, procurement and construction packages.
Gunning Solar Farm Benefits
- Increase in local employment and investment in the community
- The development of renewable energy generation project with storage along major transmission routes is in line with the Federal Government’s direction to improve the affordability and security of the national energy market while also delivering on international climate commitments.
- Battery storage can add significant benefits to solar generation because it allows for the dispatch of energy in accordance with market demand and overcomes potential issues associated with the intermittency of output.
- Post construction, it is proposed that the balance of land that is not occupied by solar farm infrastructure would continue to be used for agricultural purposes such as sheep grazing, resulting in only a minor net change to the existing land-use situation.
- A community and neighbourhood benefits scheme will be developed in consultation with Council and the local community. It is expected that this will include both direct payments to neighbours within close proximity to the solar farm, as well as payments to a community fund for infrastructure and community groups, over the operational life of the project.
Environmental Offsets
Design of the project is being undertaken to avoid impacts to biodiversity and other natural values as much as practicable. Where impacts cannot be avoided, they will be mitigated using best practice adaptive management strategies. In some cases, impacts may not be practical to avoid or mitigate, and therefore an offset may be required in accordance with NSW and Commonwealth legislation. Environmental offsets may include the establishment of Stewardship Agreements (formerly known as BioBank Agreements) which provide landowners with a guaranteed income stream to permanently conserve and manage land for conservation.
The project team will be investigating opportunities to establish such agreements in the NSW Southern Tablelands region. If you are a landowner interested in establishing an offset or stewardship site, or you believe you have credits which may be suitable for this development, please contact us to find out more.
About Canadian Solar
Founded in 2001 in Canada, Canadian Solar is one of the world’s largest and foremost solar power companies and has been publicly listed on NASDAQ since 2006.
Canadian Solar (Australia) Pty Ltd was incorporated in 2011 in Sydney as part of the global footprint of Canadian Solar. Our local team has an excellent understanding of the requirements and challenges of successful deployment and has a proven track record delivering large commercial solar installations. We always strive to ensure we achieve the highest quality and most effective outcome for our clients.
Our Mission
Lead solar into every household; create a better and cleaner earth for future generations.
Our Vision
Become a global solar solutions expert; create a bright future with our partners.