Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm
Project overview
Tucked away on the south coast of New South Wales on Yuin country, Shoalhaven is bordered by mountains, coastal plains and around 100 breath taking beaches.
It’s now also the home of Flow Power’s Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm, with over 7,800 panels generating more than 5,700 MWh each year since operations began in 2021.
Flow Power plans to add a battery energy storage system (BESS) onsite with construction set to begin at the end of 2026 to help store and integrate more renewable energy into the local grid.
Key information
- The solar farm provides clean energy to the grid, the City of Sydney and businesses across New South Wales.
- This project was the vision of community group Repower Shoalhaven, and made real by Flow Power
- The City of Sydney’s purchasing power enabled the project’s construction.
- This is Australia’s first GreenPower Connect accredited project. The PPA between City of Sydney and Flow Power supported the construction of this new GreenPower accredited generator.
About the project
The 3 MW Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm has been primarily financed, built, and is operated by Flow Power. Flow Power has a commitment through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to acquire the entire generated output for 15 years.
The farm generates and provides clean energy to the market, including Flow Power’s anchor customer, the City of Sydney.
Funding the project
This is a shared project and was funded by both Flow Power and local investors within the Shoalhaven community, who raised $500,000 to fund this project. While Flow Power is a private company, the partnership with Repower Shoalhaven was driven by ambitions to realise the community-based project, making it the first of its kind.
Repower Shoalhaven is a community energy group and not-for-profit social enterprise that has a commitment to move away from fossil fuel generation and step towards a renewable future.
“The Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm provides a roadmap for other communities to launch their own renewable projects.”
– Matthew van der Linden, CEO, Flow Power
Powering Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm
There were five key factors that enabled this project to be brought to life:
The commitment of Repower Shoalhaven and their vision of supporting the transition to sustainable energy.
Repower Shoalhaven was able to secure the once unproductive land through its relationship with the local council. Without access to this land, this project would not have been possible.
$500,000 was raised by the not-for-profit group Repower Shoalhaven through community investment. The rest was financed by Flow Power, who brought in the various contractors and resources to get the project up and running.
The City of Sydney’s commitment to purchase a significant amount of the project’s output underpinned the demand and commercial viability of the project. Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm now plays a key part towards The City of Sydney’s sustainability goals.
Flow Power is dedicated to delivering more renewable energy generation for Australia and empowering communities to be at the centre of the renewable transition.
The land for the project
The solar farm is built over 5.038 Ha of land leased from the Shoalhaven City Council on Yuin Country.
Before the solar panels were installed, the project area was used as a sanitary waste depot, but has now been repurposed into a clean energy project that gives back to its local community.
Sheep and alpacas live alongside the solar panels to help manage vegetation onsite, while providing shade for the animals from the sun.
Community investment and benefits
Direct benefits were discussed and implemented with the community members who invested in the project, providing steady financial returns to them over an agreed period of time, in addition to the financial benefits that flow back to the community thanks to the clean energy generation.
During construction phase, 300 jobs were awarded to local contractors, and the Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm continues to provide ongoing employment and educational opportunities, as Flow Power conducts ongoing site visits and open days for local community members, groups and education institutions.
Flow Power also worked with a local animal shelter to install solar panels on their roof for free.
Supporting Hi Neighbour
We are proud to support Hi Neighbour. Hi Neighbour assists people to realise their clean energy career goals energy transformation.
Through Hi Neighbour’s scholarship programs, Flow Power supported facilitation of their First Nations scholarship called ‘First Power.’ The scholarship assists in training individuals in renewable energy related jobs, where they are then placed locally.
Battery energy storage system (BESS) installation
Flow Power plans to retrospectively construct a battery energy storage system (BESS) on the solar farm’s project site at the end of 2026 through to early 2027.
The solar farm will continue to capture energy from the sun during peak daylight hours, and the future BESS will store excess clean energy onsite. Batteries release stored power back into the local grid during times of high demand, low sunshine, or price spikes. The generated power is then fed into the grid and retailed to businesses, communities, and households.
Timeline
Shoalhaven Solar Farm FAQs
No land clearance was required for this project. The majority of the site was clear, primarily covered with grasses and weeds, having been previously used as a sanitary waste depot. There was initial area maintenance required to restore the site ready for construction.
The project is 100% owned by Flow Power. The Community Investors provided debt to the project.
The City of Sydney power their operations (such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, pools, libraries, playing fields, depots, council buildings, Town Hall and the Sydney Opera House) with a Flow Power retail contract that is linked to the farm.
The City of Sydney has committed to buying energy linked to 3 renewable energy generators, including the Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm, through a Power Purchase Agreement with Flow Power. A Power Purchase Agreement is a Flow Power offering which allows customers to secure a long term commitment to support renewable generation for 10 years. Allowing businesses to reach their sustainability goals.
The City’s Power Purchase Agreement also has offtake agreements with Bomen Solar Farm and Sapphire Wind Farm. By having a diverse portfolio of both solar and wind offtake agreements, the City enjoy the benefits of two types of energy generation. When there is a lack of sunlight and therefore lower solar energy generation (e.g. at night), this can usually be supplemented with wind energy and vice versa under the Power Purchase Agreement arrangements in place.
The City are an ideal example of how forward-thinking businesses can utilise various complimentary sources of renewable energy generation to build their Power Purchase Agreement.
Read more about the City of Sydney here
These are Clean Energy Regulator accredited Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGC). With Flow Power’s Power Renewable Agreement, we nominate a specific project to give businesses a clear view to the project generating their LGCs. This reinforces their commitment to supporting renewable energy and see the output of their allocated wind and solar farm.
Like the City of Sydney, your business may also be able to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy. Get in touch with us to find out more about achieving your sustainability goals with a genuine commitment to renewables.
Contact our friendly Flow Power team today.
A BESS installation of this size (two battery energy storage containers, with a combined capacity of approximately 10 MWh), is expected to be relatively short in duration, taking approximately six weeks to complete. The construction is planned to be undertaken in two stages, with each stage expected to take approximately three weeks.
Subject to the design being finalised as planned, construction is expected to commence in late November. Due to the lead time associated with the batteries, the second stage of construction is currently expected to commence towards the end of February 2027. This timeline may be subject to change depending on the outcomes of detailed testing and the progress of construction.
Flow Power will be onsite at Shoalhaven periodically from October 2026. We are happy to meet with residents, landholders and local stakeholders in person or online to discuss the project. We will incorporate feedback reviewed from the community into the project where possible and applicable. If you would like to ask specific questions or be added to our communications updates, please email info@shoalhavenenergyproject.com.au.
We will continue to share detailed information regarding construction timelines, and any relevant traffic, noise, and bushfire/biodiversity information as the project progresses. We also plan to identify further benefit sharing initiatives. If you have any suggestions, please let us know.
Work with us
Flow Power is committed to working with local businesses in the regions where we operate. If you’re supplier or local business looking to partner with us, we want to hear from you.
If you’re wondering whether your land is right for a renewable energy project or want to learn more about the project development process, register your interest in project development opportunities with us.
If you’d like to know more about the Shoalhaven Community Solar Farm, provide feedback or submit a complaint get in touch with Flow Power today.
Complete this form or use the contact details below.
If you’re an existing Flow Power customer, please reach out to your dedicated account manager.