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Hughendon

Solar power plant in Queensland, Australia. Approximate location -20.875, 144.17.

SolarQueenslandAustralia

Hughendon is a 20 MW solar power plant in Queensland, Australia. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 8.5k homes (estimated). It ranks #343 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 19.6% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

20Source-backed capacity
8,509homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0069764.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHughendon WRI
CountryAustralia · Queensland WRI
Coordinates-20.875, 144.17 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity20 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#343 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#44 of 69 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.43× · 47 MW median · 69 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,509 calculated
Climate24.3°C · HDD 29 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000805441); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 20 MW, Hughendon is below the median solar plant in Australia (47 MW). Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Australia

Haughton River Solar Farm: 500 MW500Haughton R…Sunraysia: 200 MW200SunraysiaHayman Solar Farm: 180 MW180Hayman Sol…Daydream Solar Farm: 150 MW150Daydream S…Wilpena Solar Farm: 145 MW145Wilpena So…Clare Solar Farm: 128 MW128Clare Sola…Ross River: 128 MW128Ross RiverLilyvale Solar Farm: 125 MW125Lilyvale S…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 20.9°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

24.3°Cannual mean temp
29heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,317cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
349 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 29 °CJF: 29 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 26 °CON: 28 °CND: 29 °CD29 °C

Heating degree-days here run 99% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 13/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 1.5% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
12.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
358 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #44 largest solar power plant of 69 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 69 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 4,331 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -20.875, 144.17 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hughendon?

Hughendon is a 20 MW source-record solar power plant in Queensland, Australia.

How many homes can Hughendon power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,509 homes (estimated).

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