Biggest portable solar panels array in world at Adelaide's Happy Valley reservoir; SA Water sets 500,000 total aim

Installing the array of 30,000 solar panels at Happy Valley Reservoir, south of Adelaide, that supplies 40% of the metropolitan drinking water.
Image courtesy SA Water

Described by SA Water as the world’s largest single-site portable solar array, more than 30,000 panels were installed at its Happy Valley Reservoir Reserve, south of Adelaide, from 2020.

The panels added to the target of 500,000 for 33 SA Water sites across South Australia, under government-owned utility’s Zero Cost Energy Future project.

The 12-hectare Happy Valley solar array would supply clean solar electricity to treat and transport water from the reservoir, built in 1867 and holding 12.6 gigalitres that provides more than 40% of metropolitan Adelaide’s drinking water. The ground-mounted Marverick solar modules, to generate more than 17 GWh of renewable energy per year, were produced by Australian technology developer 5B. The modules were pre-wired, fabricated and folded to allow for each panel to be delivered and installed in one day. They could be fully remobilised and moved several times.

SA Water chief executive David Ryan said the behind-the-meter solar array would cut operating expenses of the Happy Valley Reservoir and deliver significant environmental benefits: “Not only does this solar array have the generation capacity to almost double the energy requirements of the Happy Valley water treatment plant but it also reduces our emissions by more than 7,600 tonnes.” At the corner of Black and South roads, the solar farm had a wind buffer from the roads of 40 metres of pine trees, with native grasses and saltbush to support wildlife.

Also in 2020, another 1,300 solar panels were helping to power SA Water operations on the Eyre Peninsula. Roof and ground-mounted panels were installed at SA Water sites in Port Lincoln, Kimba, Lock, Arno Bay and Caralue Bluff.  Together, they would generate 770 megawatt hours of solar electricity each year.

With extensive water and wastewater operations, SA Water was one of the largest electricity consumers in South Australia. Its Zero Cost Energy Future project involved investing more than $300 million to install more than 500,000 solar modules producing about 242 GWh of green energy and 34 MWh of energy storage each year to slash electricity costs.

The initiative had already seen about 160,000 solar panels positioned at SA Water sites like the Bolivar wastewater treatment plant, Adelaide desalination plant and major pump stations along the Morgan-to-Whyalla pipeline.