SA Water says it will have the world’s largest moveable solar farm

South Australian utility SA Water will build at its Happy Valley Reservoir what it says is the largest globally, fully moveable, single-location solar farm.

The first of over 30,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels are being positioned at the site, SA Water said earlier in December. Once fully installed, the solar system will produce over 17 MWh per year.

Australian innovator 5B is the company behind the concept for the Maverick solar panels, which are pre-wired, fabricated and folded, making it possible to deliver and install a panel in a day. The system can be fully re-mobilised and moved a number of times.

“With our extensive water and wastewater operations making us one of the largest electricity consumers in South Australia, being able to generate solar electricity at sites like Happy Valley will make us more resilient to the volatility of the electricity market,” said SA Water CEO David Ryan.

SA Water has a strategy for a zero cost energy future. The installation of 500,000 PV panels with an annual output of 242 GWh is a major part of it. The utility said it already has 160,000 solar panels at different sites, including pump stations, water treatment plants and desalination plants.

The water in the Happy Valley Reservoir is treated at the Happy Valley Water Treatment Plant, which supplies clean drinking water to customers across metropolitan Adelaide.

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