Google, AirTrunk and European Energy Australia are preparing the Mulwala Solar Farm in New South Wales for connection to Australia’s electricity network, linking new solar generation directly with the rapid expansion of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and hyperscale data centre infrastructure.

The latest official updates from Google and AirTrunk describe the project as a 25 MW solar farm nearing completion and preparing to enter the National Electricity Market. Located near Mulwala in the Riverina region of New South Wales, the project is designed to add new renewable generation rather than simply reallocating electricity already available within the grid.

For Google, the project supports its Australian Digital Future Initiative and its broader objective of operating on carbon-free energy every hour of every day by 2030. For AirTrunk, it demonstrates how a large data centre operator can use long-term renewable energy procurement to support additional generation capacity. European Energy Australia is responsible for developing and delivering the solar asset.

The project is relatively modest compared with Australia’s largest utility-scale solar farms, but its strategic importance is much greater than its nameplate capacity suggests. Mulwala illustrates how technology companies, data centre operators and renewable energy developers are beginning to coordinate digital growth with new electricity generation.

Mulwala Solar Farm at a Glance

The project brings together several parts of the modern energy supply chain:

• Google provides the long-term digital demand and carbon-free energy objective.
• AirTrunk operates hyperscale data centre infrastructure and procures the renewable electricity and associated environmental attributes.
• European Energy Australia develops and delivers the solar farm.
• Essential Energy’s distribution infrastructure will provide the network connection.
• The generated electricity will enter the National Electricity Market rather than travelling through a private cable directly to a data centre.

Google and AirTrunk refer to 25 MW of new renewable generation capacity. European Energy’s project information lists approximately 31 MW of installed solar capacity, expected annual production of around 66 GWh and a site area of 215 hectares. Approximately one-third of the land is allocated to solar panels, while the remaining two-thirds can continue to be used for grazing.

The different 25 MW and 31 MW figures appear to represent different project-rating conventions or stages. European Energy separately identifies the project as a 31 MWp solar farm, while Google and AirTrunk describe the capacity associated with the commercial arrangement and grid contribution as 25 MW. The published partner information does not explicitly reconcile the two figures.

For procurement teams and project developers, this distinction is familiar. Utility-scale solar projects may be described using:

• DC module capacity in MWp
• Maximum AC inverter capacity
• Approved export capacity
• Contracted PPA volume
• Registered generating capacity

These values do not always match, particularly where the solar panel array is oversized relative to the solar inverter capacity or the grid connection limit.

From OX2 Development to European Energy Ownership

The project was originally announced in December 2023 through an agreement involving Google, AirTrunk and renewable energy developer OX2.

Under the original arrangement, AirTrunk agreed to procure the renewable electricity generated by the solar farm together with the associated energy attribute certificates. The structure also included time-matching against Google’s electricity consumption, making it more sophisticated than a basic annual renewable certificate purchase.

European Energy subsequently acquired the project rights from OX2 as part of a transaction covering two Australian solar developments. European Energy’s public project documentation identifies a 2026 target for grid connection. Its project page had previously indicated an April 2026 operational target, while the later May and June partner announcements described the solar farm as nearing completion and preparing to join the grid.

The most recent official partner announcements available at the time of writing confirm that the project is approaching grid entry. They do not yet provide a confirmed commercial operation date.

Why the Project Matters for Australia’s Digital Infrastructure

Data centres are no longer a peripheral electricity consumer. They are becoming a central part of national infrastructure, supporting:

• Cloud computing
• Artificial intelligence
• Banking and payment systems
• Government services
• Healthcare platforms
• Telecommunications
• Video streaming
• Enterprise software
• Data storage and cybersecurity
• Consumer internet services

Every search query, AI workload, cloud application and digital transaction ultimately depends on physical servers, cooling equipment, power distribution systems and network infrastructure.

AirTrunk and other Australian data centre operators expect the country’s computing requirements to expand substantially during the remainder of the decade. An industry-commissioned report published by AirTrunk estimates that Australian data centres currently account for approximately 2% of national electricity consumption, with that share potentially reaching around 6% by 2030.

This growth creates a direct connection between digital strategy and energy strategy. A company cannot expand cloud and AI infrastructure indefinitely without considering:

• Availability of grid capacity
• Timing of new connections
• Electricity costs
• Renewable energy sourcing
• Exposure to wholesale market volatility
• Network congestion
• Backup power
• Energy storage
• Water and cooling requirements
• Carbon reporting

The Mulwala Solar Farm is one example of a large digital customer helping to support new generation rather than relying exclusively on existing renewable assets.

How the Corporate Renewable Energy Agreement Works

The Mulwala arrangement is based on a long-term corporate power purchase agreement.

A corporate PPA allows a company or energy user to contract electricity, environmental attributes or both from a renewable energy project over an extended period. The electricity does not necessarily travel directly from the solar farm to the buyer’s facility.

In the Mulwala structure, the solar farm injects electricity into the National Electricity Market. AirTrunk procures the generated renewable energy and associated energy attribute certificates, with the arrangement designed to match this supply against Google’s consumption over defined time intervals.

This provides several potential benefits.

Revenue Certainty for the Solar Developer

A long-term offtake agreement can give the project developer greater confidence that the generated electricity will have a committed buyer.

This revenue visibility can support:

• Project financing
• Construction investment
• Equipment procurement
• Grid-connection expenditure
• Long-term operating plans
• Investor confidence

For solar farm developers, securing a credible corporate offtaker can be as important as selecting solar panels, central inverters, transformers or mounting structures.

Greater Energy Cost Visibility for the Buyer

The corporate purchaser may gain more predictable long-term electricity costs compared with complete exposure to the wholesale market.

The exact commercial benefits depend on the PPA structure, settlement mechanism, contract length and market prices. The detailed financial terms of the Mulwala agreement have not been publicly disclosed.

Additional Renewable Generation

The agreement supports a newly developed solar asset. This is commonly described as additionality.

Additionality matters because purchasing certificates from an existing renewable energy plant does not necessarily cause new solar or wind capacity to be constructed. Supporting a new project can create a clearer connection between corporate electricity demand and additional clean generation.

What Does 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Mean?

Google’s 24/7 carbon-free energy objective is more demanding than purchasing enough renewable energy over a year to match annual electricity consumption.

Annual matching allows a company to purchase large quantities of solar energy during sunny periods and use those purchases to compensate for electricity consumed at night or in another part of the year.

Hourly matching asks a more difficult question:

Was the electricity consumed at a particular location during a particular hour matched by carbon-free electricity available on the same regional grid during that hour?

Google set a target to operate on carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across every grid where it operates by 2030. Its framework recognises that annual renewable matching does not eliminate dependence on fossil-fuel generation during hours when solar and wind output is insufficient.

The Mulwala Solar Farm improves the supply of carbon-free electricity during daylight hours. However, a solar farm alone cannot provide round-the-clock clean power.

Achieving 24/7 carbon-free operation requires a broader combination of:

• Solar generation
• Wind generation
• Battery energy storage
• Hydroelectric power
• Geothermal generation
• Other firm carbon-free technologies
• Flexible electricity demand
• Geographic diversification
• Improved grid connections
• Hourly energy tracking

Solar panels are highly effective during daylight hours, but evening and overnight data centre demand must be met from other sources.

Why Solar Power Is Well Suited to Data Centre Procurement

Solar energy has several characteristics that make it attractive to large digital infrastructure operators.

Predictable Technology

Utility-scale photovoltaics is based on mature, commercially available equipment.

A typical solar farm uses:

• High-power solar panels
• String or central solar inverters
• Ground-mounted racking or trackers
• Medium-voltage transformers
• Switchgear
• SCADA and monitoring systems
• Weather sensors
• Network-protection equipment
• Grid-connection infrastructure

The technology is well understood by developers, lenders, insurers and EPC contractors.

Relatively Fast Construction

A solar farm can generally be developed and constructed more quickly than many thermal generation, hydroelectric or nuclear projects, provided that land, planning permission and network access are available.

The grid connection is often the most challenging part of the schedule. Even where solar panels, inverters and mounting components are available, a project cannot export electricity until the required network studies, protection systems, commissioning procedures and market registrations have been completed.

Low Operating Fuel Risk

Solar farms do not require gas, coal or liquid fuel deliveries.

Once constructed, the largest operational variables are generally:

• Solar irradiation
• Equipment availability
• Network curtailment
• Maintenance
• Module degradation
• Inverter performance
• Electricity market conditions

This can provide greater long-term cost visibility than generation dependent on internationally traded fuels.

Strong Daytime Production

Data centres normally operate continuously, but they also support commercial and digital activity that may create strong daytime demand.

Solar production can offset part of that daytime load. Complementary wind generation or energy storage can then help cover other periods.

Grid Connection Is as Important as the Solar Farm

Building a utility-scale solar project involves much more than installing solar panels on available land.

The Mulwala Solar Farm is expected to connect through Essential Energy’s existing distribution infrastructure. European Energy states that the project is located close to the network connection point.

Before a solar farm can operate commercially, the developer and network operator must address issues such as:

• Export capacity
• Voltage control
• Reactive power
• Frequency response
• Fault ride-through
• Protection coordination
• Harmonic performance
• System strength
• Communications
• SCADA integration
• Metering
• Commissioning
• Market registration

Australia’s National Electricity Market includes large generators, networks, electricity retailers and market customers across several eastern and southern states. Participation and commercial operation require the relevant technical and market-registration processes to be completed through the Australian Energy Market Operator and the responsible network provider.

Why Grid Constraints Can Change Project Design

European Energy’s environmental documentation notes that local network-capacity restrictions influenced the staging of the Mulwala development. This is a practical example of how available grid capacity can determine the initial export level even where the approved solar project could support a larger installation.

A developer may respond to a restricted connection by:

• Limiting inverter output
• Oversizing the DC solar panel array
• Curtailing generation
• Dividing construction into stages
• Adding energy storage
• Delaying part of the project
• Funding network upgrades
• Using flexible export arrangements

This is relevant across Europe as well as Australia. Many technically viable solar farms are delayed not by solar panel supply, but by substation capacity, transmission constraints and lengthy grid-connection queues.

A 40 MWh Battery Is Also Planned at Mulwala

European Energy Australia separately lists a planned 20 MW, two-hour battery energy storage system beside the Mulwala Solar Farm.

The proposed Mulwala BESS would provide approximately 40 MWh of energy storage capacity. European Energy describes it as a planned project intended to support grid stability and New South Wales energy-security objectives.

The planned battery should not be presented as already operational or as automatically included in the Google and AirTrunk solar agreement. It is a separate development proposal associated with the same location.

If completed, a 20 MW/40 MWh battery could potentially support functions such as:

• Solar output shifting
• Grid-balancing services
• Peak-period discharge
• Frequency support
• Curtailment reduction
• Network congestion management
• Improved renewable energy utilisation

A two-hour battery cannot make a solar farm continuously available throughout every night. It can, however, move part of the afternoon generation into the evening and respond rapidly to grid requirements.

Solar Farm and Energy Storage Procurement Requirements

Projects serving major corporate buyers require a different level of technical and commercial documentation from small residential installations.

A procurement team evaluating utility-scale solar panels, solar inverters or energy storage must examine the complete system.

Solar Panel Selection

Module procurement should consider:

• Nominal power
• Module efficiency
• Cell technology
• Degradation profile
• Temperature coefficient
• Mechanical loading
• Hail resistance
• Fire classification
• Product warranty
• Performance warranty
• Manufacturer bankability
• Supply-chain transparency
• Pallet and container configuration
• Replacement availability

The highest-wattage solar panel is not automatically the best option.

Module dimensions influence tracker compatibility, row spacing, labour requirements, wind loading, transport costs and the number of modules that can be installed within the approved site boundary.

Solar Inverter Selection

Utility-scale inverter procurement should assess:

• Maximum DC voltage
• MPPT architecture
• Input current
• DC-to-AC ratio
• Reactive power capability
• Grid-code compliance
• Thermal derating
• Auxiliary consumption
• Communications
• SCADA compatibility
• Spare-parts strategy
• Service response
• Firmware management

The solar inverter must comply with the technical requirements of the specific connection agreement. A model certified for one market cannot automatically be used in another country without confirming the applicable grid code.

Battery Energy Storage Selection

A utility-scale energy storage system requires assessment of:

• Power in MW
• Usable energy in MWh
• Storage duration
• Cell chemistry
• Cycle life
• Round-trip efficiency
• Thermal management
• Fire detection and suppression
• Battery management system
• Power conversion system
• Energy management system
• Grid-support functions
• Augmentation strategy
• Warranty throughput
• Emergency response planning

The stated battery capacity must also be clearly defined. Procurement documents should distinguish between:

• Gross installed capacity
• Usable beginning-of-life capacity
• Guaranteed capacity
• End-of-warranty capacity
• AC-deliverable energy

The Importance of Time-Matched Renewable Procurement

The original Mulwala agreement states that AirTrunk will procure renewable electricity and energy attribute certificates with time-matching against Google’s consumption.

This is important because two renewable contracts can have the same annual volume but a very different emissions impact.

Consider two simplified examples.

A data centre consumes electricity continuously throughout the day and night. A solar farm generates most of its electricity between late morning and mid-afternoon.

With annual matching, the solar farm may generate the same total amount of electricity over a year as the data centre consumes. However, the facility may still depend heavily on fossil-fuel generation at night.

Time-matched procurement records when the clean electricity is produced and compares it with when the electricity is consumed. This reveals the remaining hourly gaps.

Those gaps can then be reduced through:

• Battery storage
• Wind PPAs
• Flexible computing loads
• Demand response
• Geographically diverse renewable assets
• Firm carbon-free generation

For corporate energy buyers, this provides a more detailed picture than a single annual renewable percentage.

Land Use and Grazing at the Mulwala Site

European Energy states that the Mulwala project covers approximately 215 hectares, with around one-third used for solar infrastructure and two-thirds retained for grazing.

Maintaining agricultural activity can help make more efficient use of the site, but successful co-location requires deliberate planning.

The project design must account for:

• Livestock access
• Fence placement
• Cable protection
• Module height
• Vegetation management
• Maintenance access
• Animal safety
• Fire-control requirements
• Soil erosion
• Drainage

Grazing can reduce mechanical vegetation-maintenance requirements, although it does not remove the need for professional land and fire management.

For EPC contractors and solar wholesalers supplying ground-mounted projects, equipment selection should reflect the site’s ongoing agricultural use. Exposed cables, unsuitable connectors or low-mounted components can create avoidable operational risks.

What the Project Means for European Solar Companies

Mulwala is an Australian project, but the commercial structure is highly relevant to Europe.

European markets are also experiencing rapid growth in:

• Data centres
• AI infrastructure
• Corporate renewable PPAs
• Utility-scale solar
• C&I energy storage
• Grid-constrained renewable projects
• Hourly carbon accounting
• Flexible electricity consumption

Professional solar installers, EPC companies and energy consultants will increasingly need to understand both the physical system and the commercial energy arrangement.

Opportunities for EPC Contractors

Data centre-related renewable projects require companies capable of integrating:

• Solar farms
• Medium- and high-voltage systems
• Energy storage
• Grid compliance
• Monitoring platforms
• Cybersecurity
• Long-term maintenance
• Corporate reporting data

This favours EPC businesses with strong electrical engineering and grid-connection capability rather than companies focused only on module installation.

Opportunities for Solar Distributors

A professional solar distributor or solar wholesaler may support these projects through the supply of:

• High-power solar panels
• Utility-scale solar inverters
• C&I energy storage
• Battery containers
• Transformer stations
• DC and AC protection
• Solar cables and connectors
• Monitoring equipment
• Spare parts
• Replacement modules

Utility-scale procurement requires stable availability and complete documentation. A B2B solar webshop may support initial product research, but major projects usually require direct commercial quotations, delivery planning and project-specific technical approval.

Why Warehouse Stock Still Matters

Large solar farms are usually supplied through scheduled factory shipments rather than ordinary warehouse orders. Regional raktárkészlet remains important for:

• Replacement solar panels
• Spare inverters
• Communication boards
• Connectors
• Monitoring equipment
• Warranty cases
• Urgent project changes

A solar PV supplier should be able to distinguish between factory availability, allocated project stock and products physically available for European delivery.

Key Lessons for Corporate Energy Buyers

The Mulwala project highlights several questions that executives should ask before announcing a renewable energy procurement strategy.

Is the Generation New?

Purchasing from a new-build solar farm can provide a stronger additionality case than buying certificates from an existing project.

Is the Energy in the Same Market?

Renewable electricity produced in the same grid region generally has a clearer relationship with the buyer’s operational consumption than certificates purchased from an unrelated market.

Is Matching Annual or Hourly?

Annual matching is simpler, but hourly matching provides a more accurate view of when operations still depend on carbon-intensive electricity.

What Happens Outside Solar Hours?

A credible 24/7 strategy must address evenings, nights and periods of poor weather.

Is the Grid Connection Deliverable?

A signed PPA has limited practical value if the project cannot obtain the required network capacity or complete commissioning.

Is Energy Storage Included?

Solar and storage are often discussed together, but they may be separate developments with different financing, planning and completion schedules.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mulwala Solar Farm

What is the capacity of Mulwala Solar Farm?

Google and AirTrunk describe the project as adding 25 MW of new capacity to the National Electricity Market. European Energy lists approximately 31 MWp of installed solar capacity and around 66 GWh of expected annual generation.

Where is Mulwala Solar Farm located?

It is located approximately two kilometres north of Mulwala in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.

Is Mulwala Solar Farm already connected to the grid?

The latest official Google and AirTrunk announcements described it as nearing completion and preparing to join the grid. They did not provide a confirmed commercial operation date.

Will the solar farm directly power a Google data centre?

The electricity will enter the National Electricity Market. AirTrunk will procure the renewable electricity and associated certificates under the commercial arrangement, with time-matching against Google’s consumption.

What is Google’s 24/7 carbon-free energy goal?

Google aims to match its electricity consumption with carbon-free energy every hour of every day across every grid where it operates by 2030.

Does the project include battery storage?

European Energy is developing a separate planned 20 MW, two-hour battery project at Mulwala with approximately 40 MWh of energy storage capacity. It should not be treated as already operational or automatically included in the solar PPA.

How much electricity will Mulwala Solar Farm generate?

European Energy estimates annual production of approximately 66 GWh. Actual production will depend on solar irradiation, system availability, curtailment and operating conditions.

Why are Google and AirTrunk investing in new solar generation?

New renewable generation can help support rising digital electricity demand, reduce exposure to carbon-intensive grid power and advance hourly carbon-free energy objectives.

The Mulwala Solar Farm shows how renewable energy procurement is evolving beyond annual certificate purchases. Google, AirTrunk and European Energy are linking a new physical solar asset to growing digital demand, time-matched energy procurement and a longer-term objective of round-the-clock carbon-free electricity.

Solar power alone cannot provide continuous clean energy for a data centre. It can, however, become a major part of a diversified system combining renewable generation, energy storage, stronger grids and more flexible demand. For solar installers, EPC companies, solar distributors and professional buyers, that shift creates demand not only for solar panels and solar inverters, but for fully engineered, procurement-ready energy infrastructure.

Solar&Solar Wholesale supports professional enquiries for solar panels, solar inverters, solar battery solutions, C&I energy storage, electrical protection and complete system components. Exact compatibility, project requirements, current warehouse stock and European delivery conditions should always be confirmed before procurement.