Australia is famous for having one of the most varied landscapes on earth. From the Snowy Mountains to the Great Sandy Desert, a full range of climate conditions exist. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on the earth and these arid conditions would be a challenge for many tracker manufacturers, but not for Ideematec. We thrive on our ability to withstand this harsh climate and perform well, regardless of the environmental conditions, to maximize the benefits offered by Australia’s high levels of solar irradiation.
Ideematec has a number of systems in place across Australia and the Asia Pacific region, two of interest are operated by Sentient Impact Group (Sentient). These are a Maryrorough (Brigalow) Solar Farm and Baking Board (Chinchilla) Solar Farm. Both systems are performing as expected, showing strong resilience despite the challenging climate. One of the reasons that Ideematec was chosen for these projects was the unique ground conditions that required a specific type of installation, that Ideematec was ideally suited for. These sites have offered positive employment opportunities in rural Queensland with jobs in both construction and operation.
The 20MW Baking Board (Chinchilla) Solar Farm is located approximately 7 km northwest of Chinchilla in the Western Downs shire of southeast Queensland. Located on 73 ha of land, it has approximately 61,000 panels mounted on Ideematec’s SafeTrack Horizon single axis tracking system. It commenced operations in July 2019 and produces enough energy to power the equivalent of approximately 7,200 Australian homes and is estimated to save 35,910 tonnes of C02 annually.
The 35MW Maryrorough (Brigalow) Solar Farm is situated in Yarranlea, southeast Queensland. Located on 98 ha of land, it has approximately 105,000 panels mounted on Ideematec’s SafeTrack Horizon single axis tracking system. Commissioned in 2021, it is estimated to save 60,444 tonnes of C02 annually.
Sheep freely roam on the land beneath the trackers at Brigalow, demonstrating a perfect example of the dual use of land.
Ideematec is proud to be partnering with Sentient on these projects.
Sentient Impact Group (Sentient) was founded in 2021 with strong conviction to deliver unique investment products, commercial returns, and deep positive impact for society and the environment.
Led by a team with extensive experience in investments, asset management, banking, corporate advisory, sustainability and impact, their mission is to prove that capital can power the transition to a better and sustainable world. They strive to do this through the establishment and management of investment funds and through conducting advisory work to deliver strong commercial returns and net positive impact in our core areas of focus:
- Reducing climate emissions
- Valuing nature and biodiversity
- Supporting equality and quality of life
Sentient currently has three operating funds including their Solar Income Fund and Solar Asset Funds composed of six utility-scale solar farms in Victoria, Western Australia, the ACT and Queensland. They are backed by a diverse roster of aligned shareholders including Australian Ethical, a leading ASX-listed ethical investment manager with more than $6b under management.
Diamond Energy was engaged as the intermediary on the Sentient Impact Group’s projects, to support their projects’ day to day market participation and offering Diamond GEM® to support the portfolios’ (generation, battery and DER) exposures to the volatile electricity & FCAS market.
The integrator on the projects was GLSG Solar Australia Pty Ltd (GLSG). GLSG is experienced in delivering high quality and affordable EPC and O&M services in the Australian market. GLSG is based in Brisbane, Queensland, with projects nationwide. The company was established in 2017 and combines the global experience of GILDEMEISTER Energy Solutions GmbH and LSG Group.
