Australian pre-fab solar innovator 5B has received an initial purchase order for 70 megawatts of its pre-assembled, rapid-deploying Maverick solar units to supply the photovoltaic component of the Aurora Energy Precinct near Port Augusta in South Australia.

The order, announced on Thursday, comes from 1414 Degrees, the ASX-listed owner of the Aurora project, and could signal the beginning of a far larger rollout, with the precinct's indicative potential outlined at approximately 2 GW of solar PV capacity.

Manufacturing in North Adelaide, deploying in the Upper Spencer Gulf

Adelaide-based 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.

For 1414 Degrees, the choice of 5B's technology came down to its compact layout, which the company says promises to accommodate more PV generating capacity per hectare.

According to 1414 Degrees, the initial deployment covers 42 hectares within Aurora's approved 200-hectare solar development footprint, and the company's assessment indicates that 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.

The Maverick layout, the company says, supports the indicative precinct-wide potential of approximately 2 GW of solar PV capacity outlined in its 8 September 2026 announcement.

A significant order, but not 5B's biggest

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

1414 Degrees executive chair Kevin Moriarty said in a statement on Thursday that placing the order was a further step towards delivery of Aurora's initial 70 MW solar development.

"The Maverick layout allows us to accommodate considerably more solar capacity within the available land, supporting staged expansion alongside storage, connection infrastructure, and customer demand," Moriarty said. "We are progressing power purchase agreements, infrastructure partnerships, and financing for project delivery."

A project with a tangled history

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

By 2024, the plans had changed again to a 140 MW, two-hour (280 MWh) big battery 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.

1414 Degrees takes full control

In September, 1414 Degrees announced it had secured full control of the Aurora Energy 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.

Stage 1 takes shape

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 now working on power purchase agreements, infrastructure partnerships, and financing to move the project towards delivery.

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