Australia’s largest 100kW floating solar farm and 100kW rooftop solar farm was installed in late 2017 in a small city in Northern Rivers, NSW, Lismore. The floating solar is now generating electricity for East Lismore’s Sewage Treatment Plant on the surface of an ‘overflow pond’. The decision was made to invest in floating solar due to lacking suitable land. With Lismore being more susceptible to floodwaters and damage, it was important to implement tactics to combat floods. Chief project officer Geoff Fussell said that the 280 floating panels will be protected by floods of up to 12 metres, with continuous maintenance happening on the panels to keep them clean.

In 2017, the goal set by Lismore City Council was to expand the solar farm, to generate 100 per cent of the Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant’s energy needs by 2023, rather than the 12 per cent initially being produced. Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith said that the decision is historic for Lismore and represents the community and the importance of implementing renewable energy solutions. Local National Party MP, Ben Franklin, similarly agreed that Lismore is heading in the right direction by investing in sustainable energy. The solar farm operates at cooler temperatures than other solar farms and has remote, reliable power access. It is said to be cost-effective, provides a decentralised power supply and has improved efficiency.