- A grass fire broke out on April 24 at the Beryl Solar Farm in New South Wales, Australia, causing damage to the grass between the solar panels.
- Fire crews were able to bring the fire under control, but the cause of the blaze is currently under investigation.
The 87 MW (AC)/110 MW Beryl Solar Farm went into commercial operations in June 2019. It is wholly owned by Banpu Energy Australia, managed by RES, and operated by Novasource.
New South Wales Rural Fire Service crews were able to contain the fire. But in a Facebook post, it said the fact the fire was burning under solar panels, which made access more difficult for firefighters.
Ground conditions in central New South Wales have been affected by an extended period of wet weather. Together with recent high temperatures, this resulted in the extension of the bushfire season to April 30, 2023, a Beryl Solar Farm (BSF) spokesperson said.
“BSF continuously monitors and maintains vegetation levels in line with NSW Rural Fire Service guidelines to mitigate fire risk,” said the spokesperson. “This is the first incident of its kind at BSF and a thorough investigation is underway to investigate the root cause, while all the equipment remains isolated for safety reasons. All plant personnel are safe and accounted for, the site has been secured, and there were no injuries.”
Author: Bella Peacock
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
