Steve Morris’s year on a solar farm

Steve has been with GHD for 18 years, lending his expertise on a wide range of projects, including traffic infrastructure installation and urban architecture upgrades. In the case of our work with Enel Girgarre, Steve took on the role of Owner’s Engineer for the construction of the 93MW solar farm, where he lived on-site for a whole year.

“I took on this project to challenge myself and explore uncharted territory. It was an opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. Stepping out of my comfort zone allowed me to learn new skills and perspectives, which has ultimately enriched the work I do and the impact I can make,” Steve says.

“My role on the Enel Girgarre solar farm was essentially to be the eyes and ears for the client. I took photos, made observations and sent those back to the client.”

Steve was on-site seven days a week from the beginning of 2023 when the project started, providing technical and quality support on everything from design and construction to verification of costs and variations.

The project itself involved driving 25,000 piles and installing 170,000 solar panels with the aim of powering 430,000 houses. “The panels are bifacial,” Steve says about the technology. “Bifacial means they receive direct sunlight on the front of the panel, and also capture reflections from the ground onto the underside of the panel. It’s cutting-edge technology.”

The first big challenge was transforming 400 hectares of flat floodplain for construction, which would quickly turn into a muddy mess when it rained, making it hard for people to move around the site.

Rain and mud weren’t the only obstacles nature put up for the project. Steve recalls the extreme temperatures everyone faced: scraping ice off his car on -2 degree winter mornings and dealing with sweltering 42 degree summer days. And no one could forget the number of brown snakes on the site, which Steve affectionately called the “little wiggly sticks”.

“When I first got to the site, I saw half a metre of tail disappearing into a hole,” says Steve. “That was my introduction to the place! We spotted a few more here and there and had a snake catcher come out to get them. They would’ve each been about three to four metres long.”

“I received heaps of support from GHD during my time on site, including workplace, health and safety advice, guidance on project management, innovative solutions for engineering challenges, and collaborative teamwork. The resources and expertise that I had access to during the project significantly enhanced our efficiency and effectiveness on site, which meant we were able to meet all of our goals. That support also helped foster a positive environment for growth and development throughout the process.”

Instead of renting out a house for 12 months and having to drive to and from the site every day, Steve chose the caravan life.

“I decided to live in a caravan for the year, an arrangement I made with the previous project director. It was actually a lot more convenient than renting out a house and made it more flexible to move around based on the project’s requirements,” says Steve.

There was also a food wagon which was set up for nine months of the project to feed the crew. “We typically had 250 people on-site at any time, and they provided meals for everyone,” says Steve. “There were people assembling the mechanical systems, people doing the panelling, and people conducting inspections just behind them.”

Spending a year on site, though challenging at times, taught Steve some valuable lessons about himself and what it takes to successfully deliver a project.

“I was surprised by my ability to adapt quickly under pressure and collaborate effectively with diverse teams. This experience taught me the importance of open communication and flexibility. Moving forward, I’ll definitely prioritise these aspects in future projects to foster a more cohesive and resilient working environment,” Steve says.

As construction wraps up, Steve is excited to celebrate the success of another renewable energy project that will benefit the local community. “We’re nearing the finish line now, and I’m hopeful that once the regulatory authorities give their approval, the solar farm can start exporting to the main grid and powering the local community.”

Want to join our energy and resources team and work with people like Steve? Take a look at our current opportunities.