Total project investment
$26.5 million
Mid West Investment Plan funding
$10 million
CSIRO and Horizon Power propose to jointly establish a world leading, sustainable, hybrid solar power station to support CSIRO's Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory (MRO) on Boolardy Station, approximately 400km north east of Geraldton.
The project will include extensive solar photovoltaic array with short and long term energy storage technologies able to provide over 50% of the MRO’s power needs from renewable sources.
This world-class facility will pioneer and test revolutionary new technologies in areas of electrical engineering, digital systems, computing and signal transport, and provide key results and techniques to the international Square Kilometre Array design and development effort.
It will showcase Australia’s capability, incorporating innovative renewable energy integration technology and will be one of the largest solar/storage renewable energy facilities in Australia.
The Australian Square Kilometre Array telescopes will provide remarkable insights into the formation of the early universe, including the emergence of the first stars, galaxies and other structures.