1414 Degrees Selects 5B Maverick Technology for 70 MW Solar Project at Aurora Precinct Near Port Augusta, Australia

The owner of the Aurora Energy Precinct near Port Augusta in South Australia has placed an initial purchase order with Adelaide-based pre-fabricated solar specialist 5B for 70 megawatts of the company's Maverick solar units, securing the photovoltaic component of the precinct's Stage 1 grid-scale project.

The order, announced on Thursday by ASX-listed 1414 Degrees, also opens the door to a much larger deployment, with the precinct's indicative potential outlined at approximately 2 GW of solar PV capacity.

Dense layout drives the technology choice

1414 Degrees says its decision to select 5B's technology came down to the compact footprint of the Maverick layout, which promises to fit more PV generating capacity per hectare.

The initial 70 MW deployment covers 42 hectares within the precinct's approved 200-hectare solar development footprint, and the company's assessment indicates the Maverick layout could accommodate more than 300 MW of solar PV capacity across that footprint, subject to detailed design and any required approval variations. According to the company, that layout supports the indicative precinct-wide potential of approximately 2 GW set out in its 8 September 2026 announcement.

Kevin Moriarty, executive chair of 1414 Degrees, said in a statement on Thursday that placing the order was a further step towards the delivery of Aurora's initial 70 MW solar development. He said the Maverick layout allows considerably more solar capacity within the available land, supporting staged expansion alongside storage, connection infrastructure, and customer demand.

The company is progressing power purchase agreements, infrastructure partnerships, and financing for project delivery.

Production and deployment locations

5B will manufacture its prefabricated solar technology in North Adelaide and transport it to the Aurora site, which sits within the Upper Spencer Gulf Renewable Energy Zone. The company's Maverick technology was the first to receive funding from the federal Labor government's USD 701.4 million Solar Sunshot program.

The 70 MW order is significant for 5B, although it is not the company's largest. That record belongs to a 140 MW order from the owners of the Kalgoorlie Super Pit gold mine in Western Australia.

Stage 1 combines solar and storage

1414 Degrees says the initial 70 MW solar development using 5B Mavericks will form part of Aurora's Stage 1 grid-scale project, alongside the approved 140 MW / 280 MWh Battery Energy Storage System.

With the purchase order placed and full ownership of the precinct secured, the company says it is working on power purchase agreements, infrastructure partnerships, and financing to move the project towards delivery.

A site reshaped by successive owners

The Aurora Energy Precinct has changed hands and shape several times over the years. The project was originally planned to host a 70 MW solar PV facility and a 150 MW solar tower with eight hours of molten salt storage, but the original proponent, US-based Solar Reserve, collapsed. Ownership then passed to SiliconAurora, a joint venture between concentrated solar power developer Vast and 1414 Degrees.

By 2024, the plans had shifted again to a 140 MW, two-hour big battery of 280 MWh and a much smaller 30 MW CSP plant with 288 MWh of thermal storage, co-located with a planned solar methanol demonstration project led by Vast and German integrated energy giant Mabanaft.

1414 Degrees has also proposed using the site to pilot its silicon-based thermal energy storage system, known as TESS-GRID technology, which the company says can deliver electricity firming services at a similar scale to a solar power tower project, offering up to eight hours of storage.

Full control secured for USD 245,490

In September, 1414 Degrees announced it had secured full control of the precinct by acquiring Vast Solar Aurora, one of a handful of subsidiaries of Vast Renewables. Vast, a concentrating solar power hopeful, entered administration late last year.

With Vast in administration, 1414 Degrees progressed the 275 kV transmission connection, identified a 33 kV development pathway, and signed a heads of agreement for the proposed development of up to 1 GW of AI data centre infrastructure at the site.

This month, the company completed its acquisition of Vast Solar Aurora for USD 245,490, dissolving the previous joint venture structure and securing the ability to progress financing, commercial engagement, and staged development across the precinct.