Connecting a Solar Farm to the Grid with NOJA Power GMK Solutions

The rapid expansion of renewable energy is increasing the demand for reliable, flexible and ready-to-deploy grid connection solutions, particularly for sub-5MW solar and battery storage projects.

A strong example of this is the Latitude Solar Farm in Australia. The project combines a sub-5MW photovoltaic system with a 4.99 MW / 10 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), creating a hybrid generation asset that requires advanced protection, power quality management, and seamless coordination between utility and customer infrastructure.

To meet these requirements, NOJA Power supplied two Ground Mount Kiosk (GMK) switchgear solutions to support efficient and compliant grid connection.

The GMK3000, configured as a utility-owned asset and equipped with an RC-20 controller, provides advanced protection along with integrated power quality monitoring. This ensures compliance with grid connection standards while eliminating the need for additional equipment such as metering transformers and Class A power quality meters — an approach also applicable to pole-mounted OSM Reclosers with RC-20.

The GMK4000, the client-owned asset, houses two NOJA Power OSM units configured as circuit breakers, complete with RC-10 controllers. This setup not only protects the customer’s assets but also integrates power quality monitoring and revenue metering functions within a single solution.

This configuration enables load shedding under a switching agreement with the local utility, while also providing increased operational flexibility and the potential for extended export periods.

This project demonstrates how integrated medium-voltage switchgear solutions, such as NOJA Power’s GMK range, can simplify grid connection while improving performance, compliance, and operational flexibility for renewable energy projects.

As Australia continues its energy transition, scalable and intelligent grid infrastructure will play a critical role in enabling reliable and resilient electricity networks.

For applications requiring enhanced isolation performance, NOJA Power has also developed advanced configurations such as the Dual-Recloser GMK architecture. Click here to read more.