The site is also home to several hundred Merino sheep, grazing beneath rows of solar panels in a set-up known as ‘agrisolar’.
The sheep benefit from shade and shelter provided by the panels, while operators reduce their need for mowing and weed control, a simple arrangement delivering gains on both sides.
HMC Capital Energy Transition Platform, which operates the facility, sees the model as a way to maximise land use.
HMC’s asset management head Michael Sherry said agrisolar created shared benefits for agriculture and energy production.
“Agrisolar provides a unique opportunity to deliver multiple benefits for a regional landowner and operators alike,” Mr Sherry said.
“The aim of a solar farm is to be a good custodian of the land it occupies, and to provide benefits to local farming and the broader societal need for increased energy supply and reliability.”
At Numurkah, those benefits are realised by allowing the previous landowner to graze sheep at the site when feed levels permit.
Contractor Solarig’s electrical team leader Ash Pottenger said the animals were thriving in the environment.
“The sheep appear very content in and around the solar panels given the shade and weather shelter the panels provide,” Mr Pottenger said.
“There is plenty of feed available for them to eat too.”
Mr Pottenger said the project demonstrated how renewable energy and agriculture could coexist.
“In co-locating solar panels with sheep grazing, the land efficiently serves the dual purposes of harvesting renewable energy while remaining productive for livestock.”
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