A new renewable energy developer is proposing to build a small solar and battery project east of Toowoomba, after the farmer reportedly sought them out as a way to exploit some unused land.
Future X Energy, one of a group of Queensland-based companies involved in commercial and residential solar installations, strata management, virtual power plants (VPPs), and electricity offers, is proposing to build what it’s calling the Koolkuna solar battery.
The 25 megawatt (MW) solar project and 90 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery is near a small town called Lilydale, and has attracted considerable online opposition to the proposal as it heads into community consultation.
Plans for the project were original submitted to the Lockyer Valley Regional Council in November 2024, and received 110 submissions from the public viewing process, a number that included multiple submissions from the same names.
Following the law change last year that requires all wind and solar projects bigger than 1 MW to secure a community benefits agreement with the local council before launching an application in a state-level planning process, the backers of the Koolkuna project plan to relaunch the planning application later this year.
The company website says the site was chosen for proximity to a 33 kilovolt (kV) power line and the fact it has “limited access to water, which has restricted previous productive agricultural activity”.
Brett Milne, the managing director of one of the Future X group of companies handling VPPs and the person leading the Koolkuna project, said the farmer had not been able to farm the site “as it’s got no water”, the Courier Mail reported.
“At the moment for example, they have to bring water on site, so even to have stock on land is difficult because you have to bring that water on site,” he said in comments reported by the newspaper.
In spite of this, the new developer plans to graze sheep under the solar panels.
Milne says the farmer was looking for a way to earn revenue from the property and had reached out to them to develop it.
Future X Energy and Milne have been contacted for comment.
Grazing sheep under solar panels is the preferred option for pro-solar farm groups, but it does require forethought as water systems such as troughs must be installed, appropriate fencing, and new grass seed sown before equipment is installed.
Future X Energy has two other projects on its website, a solar-battery hybrid at Oakey and a battery in Purga, both in Queensland.
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Rachel Williamson
Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.
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