Rugby Run solar farm: from try lines to solar lines
Bravus’ renewables powerhouse Rugby Run continues to be among Australia’s top performing solar farms, as the facility approaches its fourth year of operations.
The central Queensland renewables project once again achieved a podium finish as the third-highest performing photovoltaic asset in the country in June.
Rugby Run is located near Moranbah in central Queensland and features 247,000 solar panels that generate 185,000MWh of power each year.
Bravus business manager for renewables Derek Chapman says the company is proud of the latest solid performance from Bravus’ flagship solar investment in Australia.
“Rugby Run is located in one of the best sites in eastern Australia for solar generation,” he said.
“Achieving this level of consistency of output highlights what a great generation project it is.”
Since starting operations, Rugby Run has consistently rated in the top three best performing solar farms in Australia, with industry analysts Rystad Energy rating it the second-best performing solar farm in 2021 and again in 2022.
Rugby Run was also Queensland’s top performing utility scale PV facility in 2021 and 2022.
It provided the equivalent energy to power around 23,000 regional Queensland homes and businesses in each of those years.
The ratings look at the capacity utilisation factor for each solar farm, the ratio of the actual energy generated by the project over a year to the energy output at its rated capacity.
The 65MW Rugby Run has consistently achieved capacity utilisation factors of above 28% in the past two years (2021, 2022).
This has been achieved by its design, in which the solar panels are programmed to rotate to track the sun for maximum energy efficiency and rest at an angle that withstands inclement wind and weather conditions.
In Queensland, Rugby Run has a power purchase agreement to sell 100% of the renewable energy generated and also supplies to the National Electricity Market, which helps to provide cheaper and more sustainable energy to customers and Queenslanders.
As part of the Adani Group, Bravus has benefitted from the Group’s experience as the world’s largest multinational solar energy company.
Rugby Run is part of the Adani Group’s vision to create a sustainable energy mix through significant investments in renewables.
Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) is one of the largest renewable energy companies in India with a current project portfolio of 20,434 MW.
The company develops, builds, owns, operates, and maintains utility- scale grid-connected solar and wind farm projects.
AGEL recently release its Q1 FY24 results which showed operational capacity up 43% and EBITDA from the supply of renewable energy up 53%.
Rugby Run technical details
- 65MW solar farm
- More than 247,000 solar panels installed
o The solar panels rotate to track the sun and maximize efficiency
o The solar panels are programmed to rest at an angle that withstands inclement wind and weather conditions
- 175 jobs at peak construction
- 1.3 million galvanized zip ties used in the stringing of electrical cables
- 18km of fence line installed
- 7.2km of road built to access site
- 6,500 holes pre-drilled
