Mega solar farm for Casella Family Brands' winery

Trinasolar has partnered with one of Australia’s largest family-owned wineries, Casella Family Brands, to introduce a 5.7 MW solar farm near its production site in Yenda, New South Wales, Australia.

The multimillion-dollar solar farm comprises 8730 Trinasolar low-voltage Vertex 650-655W (DEG21C.20) bifacial modules mounted on approximately 100 TrinaTracker (a business unit of Trinasolar) Vanguard 2P trackers, capable of generating 11.53 GWh of electricity annually. This output will fulfil approximately 35% of the power needs of the Yenda facility, which processes and bottles the majority of Casella Family Brands’ portfolio, including its [yellow tail] wine.

The solar farm is said to be the first in the Asia–Pacific region to fully integrate Vanguard 2P trackers with these large-format low-voltage 650–655 W modules. This combination results in savings on electrical components and installation labour, and a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) reduction as more large-size modules in longer electrical strings, and therefore more overall generation capacity, can be mounted on each tracker.

Wine Australia aims to reduce emissions across the supply chain by 42% by 2030 using increased renewable electricity. As one of Australia’s largest wineries, the new solar farm is the first step in Casella Family Brands’ journey to reducing its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving 100% by 2050.

“Solar energy is the most significant contributor to achieving our net zero emissions pathway. When we decided to build a large solar farm to generate clean electricity for our production site, we wanted to partner with a leading manufacturer able to provide best-in-class, innovative solutions. Trinasolar pioneers solar technologies that are continuously evolving to meet the needs of the market. For our project, they designed Australia’s largest 2-panel tracking system and supplied both the tracking system and the solar panels. Trinasolar’s support has been instrumental in achieving a successful outcome,” said Flaminio Dondina, General Manager – Procurement - Distribution - Strategy.

Edison Zhou, the Head of Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands at Trinasolar Asia Pacific, said, “Trinasolar is proud to support Casella Family Brands on this landmark project together with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) provider Next Generation Electrical (NGE). Our cutting-edge solar solutions, coupled with innovative tracking technology, have enabled Casella Family Brands to harness the power of the sun on an unprecedented scale. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to driving sustainable development and reshaping the future of renewable energy in Australia.”

Image credit: Casella Family Brands, photography by Vince Bucello.