A solar farm of this size has the capacity to supply 13,300MWh of electricity per year into the network, enough to power about 2,150 homes. Electricity from the solar farm enters the distribution network, which is connected to the national grid and will be used to meet demand by electricity consumers in the national energy market (NEM). 

99% of the time the microgrid will be inputting into the NEM, this means there will be no change to your local supply other than the NEM being strengthened by more generation. Even if the entire asset turned off there would be no noticeable change in your supply and you would receive energy as you currently do. In the instance that there is a disconnection from the NEM through line failure, the microgrid will provide supplementary power. 

Solar panels do receive power from direct sunlight, however they are also powered by diffuse irradiation which is the light scattered through particles ie: clouds, dust, pollution comes from all directions and is absorbed by the panels. Although the possible decreases in productivity depend on the density of the cloud cover, panels can still operate at almost their maximum output during these conditions. Meaning that even in a cloudy day the panels can be productive. Further, tracking systems are optimised to maximise the solar irradiation on the panels, increasing the possible generation. 

Depending on seasonal factors the microgrid can power up to 75% of the region’s electricity demand. In the case of a line outage the Microgrid will be able to power all critical infrastructure.

Yes! 

If electricity consumption grows, for example, through population growth or increased uptake of electric vehicles then more solar and batteries can be added to increase the capacity of the microgrid. These could be added anywhere within the microgrid area. Additionally, new rooftop solar installations will naturally add to the microgrid.

Solar is currently one of the cheapest ways to generate electricity, and it is still going down in price. The more solar connected to the grid, the cheaper electricity becomes for everyone. By coupling it with a large battery we can charge it up during the day and discharge in the evening when electricity demand is highest, again, lowering the cost of electricity for everyone. 

There are also other costs associated with transferring energy from where it is generated to where it is needed and maintaining all of the infrastructure. By generating electricity locally and having a large battery to absorb peaks in demand, it can potentially reduce the need for costly upgrades of grid infrastructure such as transmission/distribution power lines, or transformers at the substation. Working out the saving here is complicated, but if done right it can potentially reduce the amount of money spent on upgrading and maintaining the grid, which again lowers electricity bills for everyone. 

Because the community solar and battery will be directly connected to the national grid, you won’t see any itemised discount on your power bill. However, projects like this around the country will all contribute to lowering electricity prices for the whole country. We are also hoping that it will be possible to offer some form of community ownership of the solar farm and battery, so that a portion of the revenue from selling excess power back to the grid would stay within the community.

As part of the social licence for the project, EDPR Australia will look to provide support to local community groups or projects.

Yes.

The DA for the ‘Construction of a solar farm, battery energy storage systems, landscaping and associated site works’ at 873 Wallaces Gap Road, Ballalaba NSW 2622 is now open for public consultation until 15 April 2026.

The DA application is being managed by QPRC staff but will be assessed through the Regional Significant Development (RSD) assessment process and decided upon by the Southern Regional Planning Panel.

The DA application number is DA.2026.0113 and can be found here.

Braidwood Clean Energy will be making a written submission in support of the Development Application.

Anyone may make a written submission concerning the development application during the exhibition period.

If the submission is an objection to the proposal, the grounds for objection must be clearly stated. Please note, all submissions will become public documents and may be included in the QPRC staff reports, published on QPRC’s website and/or discussed at meetings.

You can make a submission by:
·  Going to: https://yourvoice.qprc.nsw.gov.au/development-applications-on-notification (for an online form).
·  Emailing council@qprc.nsw.gov.au
·  Mail to PO Box 90, Queanbeyan NSW 2620
·  Delivering in person to either the Queanbeyan, Braidwood or Bungendore office

The construction of a typical 5MW solar farm takes approximately 3 to 4 months, involving approximately up to 50 personnel in the project with the site typically operating from 7am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. It is estimated that approximately 45 heavy trucks will access the site throughout the whole construction phase to deliver materials and equipment. A traffic management plan, developed in consultation with the Council, will ensure traffic impacts from the solar farm are minimised to the local community. 

In response to community concerns around the access routes EDPR are reassessing their access plan. 

As part of the Development Application process a Traffic and Parking Assessment was prepared by McLaren Traffic Engineering. Their estimation of vehicle trips at different stages of the project are:
 
Noise assessments are conducted to quantify potential noise emissions associated with the construction and operation of the project. These studies provide ways to mitigate and manage noise levels where impacts are identified. Mitigation measures may include the management of working hours, the use of noise barriers, diligent operation of equipment, to name a few. There is the potential for air quality to be temporarily impacted by construction activities, such as through the generation of dust (from minor earthworks, construction vehicles driving on unsealed access roads) and wind blowing over stockpiles and exposed surfaces. Standard construction management practices include mitigation measures to suppress dust for each phase of development to minimise any impacts. 

As part of the Development Application process a Noise Assessment was undertaken by Muller Acoustic Consulting. The results of this assessment state: ‘The results of the Noise Assessment demonstrates that noise levels are expected to comply with noise management levels at all identified receivers during standard constructions hours. Similarly, operational noise management levels are satisfied at all receiver location. Road noise emission associate with the project are anticipated to satisfy the relevant Road Noise Policy criteria at all receivers along the proposed transportation route. 

Sleep disturbance is not anticipated as there are no operational noise that generate significant maximum noise events and noise emissions from the project are predicted to satisfy the EPA maximum noise level criteria. A qualitative assessment of potential vibration impacts has been completed. Due to the nature of the works proposed and distances to potential vibration sensitive receivers, vibration impacts from the project would be negligible. 

Based on these results, the project satisfies the relevant requirements of the Interim Construction Noise Guildline, Noise Policy for Industry and the Road Noise Policy...’

The solar farms integrate multiple design principles and lines of defence to mitigate the potential risks and hazards from fire. 

While no system can be completely foolproof, the solar farms are equipped with comprehensive 24x7 remote monitoring and control/trip capabilities from the solar farm owner and Essential Energy control rooms. The solar farms have their own board fault detection and alarms that can trigger automated fail-safes immediately upon a fault being detected and notification to relevant parties.

Solar farms are near silent during operation. The tracking solar PV rows move at an unobtrusive and slow rate, producing minimal noise. The most noticeable noise emitted from an operational solar farm and BESS typically come from the BESS, the substation and inverters that generate a low hum, which are generally inaudible beyond the solar farm boundaries and more so when appropriate buffer distances are in place. The solar farm produces even less noise at night. 

In terms of glint or glare, the solar photovoltaic panels are specifically designed to absorb as much sunlight as possible (to convert it into electricity) rather than reflect it. The panels use anti-reflective coating and materials to allow the transmission of light through the glass and ‘roughened’ glass surfaces. In a solar array, the rows of panels are aligned on a north/south axis and track the sun’s path across the sky from east to west to optimize sunlight absorption. This design feature also ensures that when the sun is low in the sky any reflections are directed upwards and not towards the horizon, which minimises reflection impacts.

The visual impact of solar PV farms varies with each project depending on the size, location, and the surrounding landscape. 

A specialist visual impact assessment is conducted at each site to gain an understanding of the considerations and, where applicable, mitigation measures that can be taken to reduce visual impacts. Visual impact can be mitigated through effective site selection, layout design (e.g., suitable setback distances from property boundaries), and vegetation screening with appropriate trees/shrubs around the development boundary. While there are no standard setback distances for solar farms in Australia, suitable distances are typically determined by local planning requirements and established through the development application process. 

In terms of the protection of valuable wildlife and vegetation, EDPR carries out biodiversity assessments at each site, which provide an understanding of the ecology within and around the project area and potential impacts of the development on flora and fauna. This helps to guide the design of our developments ensuring impacts, especially on threatened species, are minimised or avoided.

Electricity from solar panels and transmission to the power grid emits extremely low-level, weak electromagnetic fields (EMF). Exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields has been studied extensively, and there is no evidence that it is harmful to human health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, the solar panels used are comparable to those found in residential rooftop solar panels across Australia. The panels are made almost entirely with abundant materials like glass, aluminium, copper, and silicon. Solar farms do not produce air or water pollution or greenhouse gases in operation.

There is no clear evidence that solar developments negatively impact property values. There are some studies that suggest that the presence of utility-scale solar farms in the area had neither a negative nor positive effect on property values. Some studies even found that there was either a neutral impact or, ironically, a positive impact. 

While the following article references studies undertaken in regions of the USA, it provides a relatively recent glimpse of real-world experiences of the impacts of nearby solar facilities on local property values: 'Property Values and Utility-Scale Solar Facilities – Clean Power, 2022' 
https://cleanpower.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Solar-and-Property-Values-Fact-Sheet_2.2.22.pdf