A number of successful renewable energy projects exist across the state. Some of the major projects are listed below.
Useful resource documents on generation projects under construction, and in the advanced or publicly announced stages in South Australia include:
Current projects
Wind
South Australia currently hosts 35% of the nation’s installed wind capacity. There is a total of 2,055 MW in installed capacity of wind, comprised of the following projects:
- Canunda Wind Farm 46MW
- Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm 66MW
- Clements Gap Wind Farm 57MW
- Hallett 1 Brown Hill Wind Farm 95MW
- Hallett 2 Hallett Hill Wind Farm 71MW
- Hallett 4 North Brown Hill North Wind Farm 132MW
- Hallett 5 The Bluff Wind Farm 53MW
- Hornsdale Wind Farm 102MW
- Hornsdale Wind Farm 2 102MW
- Hornsdale Wind Farm 3 112MW
- Lake Bonney Wind Farm (Stage 1) 80MW
- Lake Bonney Wind Farm (Stage 2) 159MW
- Lake Bonney Wind Farm (Stage 3) 39MW
- Lincoln Gap Wind Farm (Stage 1) 126MW
- Mt Millar Wind Farm 70MW
- Snowtown Wind Farm Stage 2 North 144MW
- Snowtown Wind Farm Stage 2 South 126MW
- Snowtown Wind Farm Units 1 to 47 99MW
- Starfish Hill Wind Farm 35MW
- Waterloo Wind Farm 131MW
- Wattle Point Wind Farm 91MW
- Willogoleche Wind Farm 119MW
There are currently three wind projects under construction.
- Lincoln Gap Wind Farm (Stage 2) 86MW
- Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park 210MW
- Goyder South Hybrid Renewable Power Station 400MW
Solar
South Australia was the first jurisdiction to introduce solar feed-in legislation in Australia. Since 1 July 2008, the scheme has provided a financial incentive to households and small energy consumers for excess electricity they put back into the electricity grid. The scheme closed on 30 September 2013.
Our solar PV industry is leading the nation. We currently have over 3GW of utility scale solar PV generating capacity state-wide, over one in three households have solar panels installed and with three large scale solar farms in operation.
- Bungala Solar Project (Stage 1) 110MW
- Bungala Solar Project (Stage 2) 110 MW
- Tailem Bend Solar Project 108MW
- Adelaide Desalination Plant 11MW
There are currently two solar projects under construction.
- Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park 110MW
- Goyder South Hybrid Renewable Power Station 200MW
Large Scale Battery/Storage
On the 1 December 2017 South Australia turned on Hornsdale Power Reserve, the world’s largest lithium ion battery, located near Jamestown, South Australia. The installation of the 100 MW/129 MWh battery is one of the largest renewable energy developments in Australia.
The Hornsdale Power Reserve Expansion (50MW/64.5MWh), completed in 2020, upgraded the the capacity of the Hornsdale Power Reserve to 150MW and further demonstrates the benefits that grid-scale batteries can provide to the National Electricity Market (NEM) and Australian consumers.
- Dalrymple BESS 30 MW
- Hornsdale Power Reserve (Tesla Big Battery) 100 MW
- Hornsdale Power Reserve Expansion 50 MW
- Lake Bonney Battery Storage Facility 25 MW
- Adelaide Desalination Plant 6MW
Other potential projects & technologies
Bioenergy
Increased attention on bioenergy as an energy source offers significant opportunities to use untapped resources for energy production.
Bioenergy is produced from organic matter derived from plants, animals and organic by-products and waste streams. Referred to as ‘biomass feedstocks’, this organic matter can be used to produce electricity, heat, fuel and other products.
Biomass resources have the potential to play a major role in diversifying energy sources and supplying additional energy during peak demand. Other important benefits include diverting waste from landfill and producing valuable by-products, such as biochar.
The bioenergy industry is in its early stages, but technologies to convert biomass into electricity are commercially available in South Australia. Innovative research and technology is helping to identify new ways to produce bioenergy.
In March 2015, RenewablesSA analysed South Australia’s bioenergy potential to produce a report and associated spatial data as a first step towards creating a substantial and sustainable bioenergy industry.
The Bioenergy Roadmap for South Australia was the result of this analysis.
Geothermal
Geothermal generation in SA is attracting significant interest and could contribute significantly to the state’s energy requirements in the future.
Wave Energy
South Australia’s coastline is endowed with significant wave energy resources. To help investors locate ideal sites, the CSIRO has developed the Australian Marine Energy Atlas that is available on the National Map.
(Search for Wave Energy Resources in the data catalogue)
It is recognised that each renewable energy source brings its own particular requirements to the regulatory processes. The framework for wave energy is at a particularly early stage of its development.
