Starfish's Farming the Sun community solar energy collaboration has begun work on a possible new community solar farm, situated on the outskirts of Uralla in the NSW High Country.

The opportunity has come about with thanks to local solar innovators, Meralli Solar. While the Uralla project could be Meralli’s sixth solarfarm, it could be the first where locals might be able to directly invest in the project ~ which is how Starfish have come to be involved.

Meralli’s process is unique, and very well suited in Starfish's view, for community solarfarms due to their compact size, sensitive design, broad community benefits and value for money. Meralli use a ‘PEG framing system’ which has an ultra-low profile and ultra-compact footprint. The solarfarm:

• stands only 80cm above the ground
• can be easily screened with hedging and other plantings
• is safer and quicker to build, operate and maintain
• can be installed in tight formation

The proposed size of around 9MWDC would need only about 6 hectares of land. A solarfarm of this size generates a similar amount of electricity to that used by a community the size of the nearby township of Uralla.

More information https://farmingthesun.net/