The state's energy safety regulator has ordered the state's ninth largest solar farm to stop generating power, following a fire at their site in Horfield.
On December 8, the operator of the Cohuna Solar Farm was directed to disconnect equipment after an eight-to-ten-acre grassfire at the northern Victoria site in November.
Energy Safe chief executive Leanne Hughson said initial investigations into the fire raised concerns about specific equipment used at the solar farm.
"The operation of modern solar farms is generally safe but on the rare occasion we see a fault with specific equipment we will investigate," Ms Hughson said.
Cohuna Solar Farm cannot be powered up again until the operator carries out inspections and implements interim safety measures.
The operator is working to find a permanent solution to help ensure the issue does not happen again, while also working closely with Energy Safe to comply with the current direction.
The solar farm only begun operations in mid-2022 was a project to provide sustainable electricity to over sixteen thousand local homes.
The incident comes after a recently released report showed there needed to be better planning, more research, and targeted government policy to meet the potential of local agrisolar projects.
Farmers in the King Valley have also been critical of a proposed construction of a solar facility on 566 hectares (1400 acres) of agricultural land.
Energy Safe is also currently investigating the cause of a separate fire at a hospital in Melbourne.
On November 26 a fire broke out at the Joan Kirner Women and Children's Hospital at St Albans, causing women and babies to be evacuated from the area.
An initial investigation indicates the fire was started by a lithium-ion battery or the battery charger cradle, however the exact cause is yet to be determined.
