Solar farms generate electricity by capturing sunlight through large arrays of panels mounted across open land. Each panel converts sunlight directly into electricity, which is then fed into the national grid. Most utility-scale solar farms use tracking systems that rotate panels east to west throughout the day, maximising the energy captured from available sunlight. A single 120 MW utility-scale solar farm can generate enough electricity to power around 60,000 homes each year.

The solar panels will be mounted on horizontal trackers attached to steel piles and motors, which will move the panels in an east-west direction to track the sun throughout the day. The steel piles will either be screwed or driven into the ground, typically to a depth of 1.5-3m. The panels will be installed in rows with about 5-8 metres space in between them.
Sheep grazing can continue within a solar farm project site which will help maintain the grass levels within the site. Australian studies have shown that solar farms increased grazing quality and significantly boosted the production of vegetation and water retention on farms in arid climates.
Once it is up and running, the project will make very little noise. The motors that rotate the solar panels in the direction of the sun produce a soft 'ticking' noise; and the inverters and substation that the panels are connected to produce a faint 'hum'. None of the other equipment, including the solar panels, makes any noise whatsoever. A detailed noise impact assessment is completed as part of the planning application for a project to identify and assess any potential noise impacts as well as identify reasonable and feasible noise management and mitigation measures.
No. Solar panels do not leak chemicals while in use and any chemicals used to manage agricultural use of the land once the panels have been installed will be in keeping with safe farming practices already used on properties throughout the area.
There is no study available on the impact of solar farm developments on property values in Australia. However, a series of studies on the impacts of wind farms, which have higher visibility and noise emissions than solar farms, has shown that land values are very unlikely to be impacted. The NSW Department of Lands' analysis of property sales data found that wind farms did not negatively affect property values in most cases. Furthermore, a report commissioned by the Office of Environment and Heritage concluded that the available data does not show any significant impact on the value of agricultural properties.
Solar farms are largely constructed of glass, silicon, steel and aluminium and therefore have very low flammability. Solar farm buildings are constructed of low combustibility or non-combustible materials and vulnerable equipment at the site, such as the substation, is fitted with lightning protection and surrounded by a fenced, gravelled compound. A Fire Management Plan is used to manage fire risks during the construction period, including measures like stopping work with the potential to cause an ignition during total fire ban days. During the operational phase, fire risks are minimised by maintaining on-site water supplies, low vegetation fuel levels and good firefighting access.