Victoria solar farm fire leads to shutdown
Energy Safe Victoria has taken the decision to close the 20-megawatt Raywood solar farm in Victoria after a fire erupted in one of the on-site inverters last week. The fire, which started in a Sungrow inverter, quickly spread to the grass beneath the panels, prompting the authorities to investigate the cause. As a precautionary measure, the solar farm, located near Bendigo, has been instructed to cease operations until the grass is trimmed to below 100mm.
A total of ten units from six Country Fire Authority stations responded to the fire at the Mcqualters Road solar facility around 5.50 pm last Thursday. Despite concerns about black, toxic smoke affecting the Raywood community, the situation was brought under control by 8.30 pm. Powercor, the network operator, was present on-site to disconnect the solar farm from the grid.
Background and Ownership
ACEnergy handled all planning applications for the small solar farm, obtaining a planning permit in 2020. Subsequently, the project was sold to Sungrow for construction in 2021. It is important to note that this solar farm should not be confused with South Energy’s 203MW Campbell Forest solar project, which previously shared the same name. The approved planning permit allowed for the installation of up to 39 Sungrow inverters, essential for converting DC electricity generated by the solar panels into AC power for the grid.
Previous Incidents
This recent fire incident involving the Sungrow inverter is the second of its kind within the past year. In a separate incident in mid-January 2024, a fire occurred at Mannum 2, a project owned by Epic Energy in South Australia’s Riverland region. During the commissioning phase of the project, a subcontractor sustained burns, resulting in an estimated damage cost of approximately $250,000.
It is worth noting that the information regarding the Mannum 2 fire has been corrected to reflect that it took place in 2024, not 2025.
