APTP Articles

Australia’s Progress Towards 100% Renewable Energy

Risen Energy Australia is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of Risen Energy in China and was incorporated in 2014. Risen Energy Co., Ltd. was founded in 1986 and listed as a Chinese public company in 2010. Risen is a global PV manufacturer and also leader in the design, construction and operation of solar farms.

Risen Energy Australia has had an established presence in Australia since 2018 and remains one of the top suppliers of PV panels for the rooftop sector. Risen owns two solar farms in Australia. The 100MW Yarranlea Solar Farm (2019) and the 132MW Merredin Solar Farm (2020) and the organisation’s long-term goal include 2GW of projects. Risen is aiming to be a key player in the solar industry and are committed to achieving that through strong partnerships with important suppliers and organisations in the industry.

Yarranlea Solar Farm

Yarranlea Solar Farm is approximately 250Ha of sparsely vegetated farmland about 50km west of Toowoomba, consisting of 360,000 Risen Energy 360W high performance monocrystalline PERC module panels mounted on a single axis tracking system. The farm has a generation capacity of up to 100MW, producing enough energy to power up to 32,000 homes. The project connects to the power grid using the existing Ergon Energy infrastructure, located adjacent to the development site. This allows the transmission of power into Toowoomba via the Middle Ridge Bulk Supply Substation. The completed facility has a projected life of 30 years. At the end of the facility’s useful operating life, all physical infrastructure will be removed, and the land returned to its former agricultural use.

Yarranlea Solar Farm is currently contributing to the green footprint of the state in support of the Queensland Government’s Green Policy. Currently, two full time staff are on site for O&M and throughout the duration of the build, Risen created close to 200 construction jobs. 

Merredin Solar Farm

Merredin Solar Farm

Merredin Solar Farm consists of approximately 360,000 Risen Energy 370W high performance monocrystalline PERC module panels mounted on a single axis tracking system. 22 Inverter stations converts the power from the solar panels to alternating current (AC) before entering an onsite substation. A transformer within this substation will then increase the voltage for injection to the Merredin Terminal Substation. On-site labour peaked at 425 staff and the speed at which Risen and their partners completed the construction works was exceptional. Once the field assembly was completed, 300 labour staff demobilised from the site in early December, 2020. Due to the close collaboration between Risen and their partners including Hengtong Cable, electrical, mechanical and civil completion of the Merredin Solar Farm was achieved in just three months, making it one of the fastest builds of a large-scale solar farm seen yet.

This year, Risen signed a 10-year renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) for their Merredin Solar Farm to supply 50MW of electricity to BHP’s Nickel West operations. 30MW will be directed to BHP Nickel West’s Kalgoorlie Smelter and reduce the smelters Scope 2 emissions by 30%. 20MW will be directed to BHP Nickel West’s Kwinana Refinery and will cover up to 50% of its electricity use

Hengtong Group – Risen’s Choice

Hengtong Group is an international company with a diverse range of areas covering Fibre-Optic, Power Cable, Construction and Maintenance, Financial Service, Capital Investment, Information Technology and Tourism Estate. Hengtong has 11 manufacturing facilities based in Europe, South America, South Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as sales offices in over 40 countries and regions around the world supplying products to over 150 countries. Hengtong Group is the largest Optical Fibre and Power Cable manufacturer in China and the seventh fourth largest in the world.

Risen Energy & Hengtong Group