Enervest CEO Ross Warby discusses the company's floating solar project on a live water utility reservoir, highlighting its significance beyond the client's needs. Warby emphasizes Enervest's legacy in commercial and industrial solar PV, shaping their approach to development with a focus on experience, community engagement, and long-term value. This project with Wannon Water exemplifies their proven expertise and innovative infrastructure solutions.
Warby acknowledges that floating solar is not Enervest's strategic direction, as the company has shifted towards larger-scale own-and-operate battery storage assets. However, the Brierly Basin project serves as a capstone of their previous chapter, offering valuable engineering and market lessons applicable beyond Enervest's trajectory.
The project's engineering is complex due to the dynamic nature of the live water utility asset. Warby explains that the anchoring approach avoids reservoir lining penetration, using gravity anchor blocks and mooring lines. String inverters are located on land, and a floating cable management system is employed for safe power generation. Maintenance access is designed for safety and includes a custom launch ramp to protect the panels.
While floating solar may require more complex maintenance than ground-mount systems, Warby notes operational advantages. Panels over water run cooler, supporting better energy yield, and rainfall can keep panels clean at water treatment facilities. The technology is well-established globally, including on saltwater, with proven fundamentals.
Warby identifies barriers to market growth, including economics, regulation, and risk perception. The cost premium of floating solar reflects engineering complexity, but it works in the right context, such as displacing retail electricity for on-site operations. The absence of local reference projects is another challenge, but Warby believes the market will accelerate with reliable performance data and mature regulatory frameworks.
Warby also highlights the potential of agricultural irrigators, particularly in the cotton industry, as an adjacent sector for floating solar. On-site water storage and energy usage for pumping present opportunities for reduced evaporation and energy costs. This sector may offer faster deployment and offset infrastructure stress.
In conclusion, the Brierly Basin project provides a template for site-specific engineering, financial viability, and O&M practices tailored to a water environment. The success of this project depends on regulatory frameworks and reference data reducing risk perception, which will accelerate Australia's floating solar market and contribute to the broader energy transition.
