Winton Solar Farm is located around 25km south-west of Wangaratta, near the town of Winton, in the shire of Benalla in central north Victoria. The site covers approximately 250Ha of agricultural land currently used for livestock grazing. Winton Solar Farm uses the latest in solar energy generation technology. Solar energy is captured using solar panels – like those seen on household rooftops – that track the sun throughout the day to capture solar energy – a clean, infinite energy source.
Construction and commissioning was completed in January 2021 with the operations phase now active. The project received development approval in January 2018. Operations of the farm involves regular inspection, testing and maintenance of solar panels and associated electrical infrastructure to maintain optimum output from the solar farm. Onsite personnel also manage the site itself – vegetation control, pest control, cleaning and farm maintenance. Safety is a key consideration for all operations activities. The solar farm is now producing around 200,000MWh/per annum which is enough clean energy to power 52,000 homes.
Construction of the project took 18 months and the plant will have an operating life of around 30 years.
During construction we employed 200 people, many of these from the local area. 5 people are employed on an ongoing role.
Winton Solar Farm is continuing to work with the community and provides an annual Community Grants Program to fund initiatives that improve the liveability and vitality of the region.