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Peterborough SA

Solar power plant in South Australia, Australia. Approximate location -32.945, 138.905.

SolarSouth AustraliaAustralia

Peterborough SA is a 5 MW solar power plant in South Australia, Australia. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.1k homes (estimated). It ranks #436 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).

5Legacy source-record capacity
2,084homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0071194.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPeterborough SA WRI
CountryAustralia · South Australia WRI
Coordinates-32.945, 138.905 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity5 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#436 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#61 of 69 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.10× · 47 MW median · 69 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,084 calculated
Climate15.1°C · HDD 1,467 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 35/100 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 5 MW, Peterborough SA 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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 32.9°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.1°Cannual mean temp
1,467heating degree-days (base 18°C)
377cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
556 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 8 °CJJ: 8 °CJA: 9 °CAS: 12 °CSO: 15 °CON: 18 °CND: 21 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 40% 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: 33/100 — 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 0.0% 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)
35/100environmental-severity index
14.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
177 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 #61 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 -32.945, 138.905 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Peterborough SA?

Peterborough SA is a 5 MW source-record solar power plant in South Australia, Australia.

How many homes can Peterborough SA power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,084 homes (estimated).

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