daily · Clean Energy

5B lands 70 MW Maverick order as 1414 Degrees pivots Aurora precinct to solar, storage and data centres

Australian prefabricated solar manufacturer 5B secured an initial 70 MW order for its rapid-deployment Maverick arrays from ASX-listed 1414 Degrees for the Aurora Energy Precinct near Port Augusta, South Australia. Announced October 22, the order anchors Stage 1 of a precinct planned for up to 2 GW of solar alongside a 140 MW / 280 MWh battery and up to 1 GW of AI data centre infrastructure.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 22, 2026 · Updated 10/22/2026

Adelaide-based solar manufacturer 5B has secured an initial 70-megawatt purchase order for its prefabricated, rapid-deploying Maverick solar arrays from ASX-listed 1414 Degrees, which will deploy the units at its Aurora Energy Precinct near Port Augusta in South Australia. The companies announced the order on October 22, 2026, with the hardware to be manufactured at 5B's North Adelaide facility and transported to the site in the Upper Spencer Gulf Renewable Energy Zone.

The initial deployment covers 42 hectares within Aurora's approved 200-hectare solar development footprint. According to 1414 Degrees, the compact accordion-style layout of the Maverick arrays could accommodate more than 300 MW of solar capacity across that footprint - more than double the energy density of conventional single-axis tracking - supporting the precinct's indicative potential of roughly 2 GW of solar PV outlined in the company's September 8 announcement.

The 70 MW order forms part of Aurora Stage 1, where the solar arrays will operate alongside an approved 140 MW / 280 MWh battery energy storage system and an established 275 kV transmission connection. The order is significant for 5B, though not its largest: the company previously won a 140 MW contract to supply the owners of the Kalgoorlie Super Pit gold mine in Western Australia. 5B was also the first company awarded funding under the federal government's $800 million Solar Sunshot manufacturing program.

The order marks the latest pivot for a site with a long history. Aurora was originally planned as a 70 MW solar PV facility paired with a 150 MW solar tower using molten salt storage under US developer SolarReserve, which collapsed. The project later moved to SiliconAurora, a joint venture between concentrating solar power developer Vast and 1414 Degrees, before Vast entered administration late last year. This month, 1414 Degrees completed its acquisition of Vast Solar Aurora for $350,000, taking full control of the precinct and the ability to progress financing and staged development.

With full ownership secured, 1414 Degrees has progressed the 275 kV transmission connection, identified a 33 kV development pathway, and signed a heads of agreement for up to 1 GW of AI data centre infrastructure on the property. The company has also proposed piloting its silicon-based TESS-GRID thermal storage technology at the site, which it says can deliver up to eight hours of electricity firming at a scale similar to a solar power tower.

Official source: reneweconomy.com.au ↗