Commercial & Industrial PV

As Covid-19 decimates the aviation industry, Melbourne Airport is set to make significant savings on its energy costs with the installation of a 12.4 MW solar farm, one of Australia’s largest behind-the-meter arrays, which will be able to power all four of the airport’s terminals.

Known as iron-ore central, the town of Newman in the far north of Western Australia is also the regional centre for a large Indigenous population which has just opened a health care hub dedicated to its own needs. Solar on the building’s broad, gently arcing roof will significantly reduce the costs of running this much needed facility.

A Perth-based innovator has designed a secure solar-panel mounting system that enables super-fast installation of medium-to-large-scale projects, and lets them be relocated as needed.

The Kimberley Recovery Plan spells out in regional focus the renewable energy investments heading to the Kimberley from the Western Australian Government’s $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan. The Kimberley region is set for an injection of funds to help fortify a sustainable renewable energy sector, particularly for the uptake of residential rooftop solar and energy storage systems.

Malmsbury Fire Station in Victoria has been generously donated a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery, a gift that allows the Malmsbury Fire Brigade to remain operational and vigilant despite power outages. 

If it was designed with a focus on reliability, security and the lowest cost for consumers, Australia’s main electricity grid would see periods in which nearly 90% of demand is met by renewable generation. A diverse portfolio of distributed energy resources and large-scale solar and wind generation supported mainly by pumped hydro and batteries would ensure the least-cost transition as the nation’s coal plants retire. Adequate investment in transmission infrastructure will be instrumental in making this a reality.

Utility Iberdrola will provide solar power to the Spanish site of Saudi petrochemical company Sabic, which has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement. The electricity will be generated by a €70 million, 100 MW solar park.

NSW State Government-owned water and sewage utility Hunter Water is set to join a now surging river of water utilities around Australia investing strongly in the uptake of solar PV. The announcement came with the completion of a 100 kW system at Branxton Wastewater Treatment Works.

Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council has installed its largest solar array to date, a 265 kW rooftop system atop the Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Aquatic Centre in Manly. Council is revving up its solar capacity on its way to a goal of having renewable energy power all suitable Council sites by 2030, an ambition it hopes will inspire more local residents to take up solar too.

1000 sites into the Sunburnt Country and McDonald’s has had the bright idea of investing in solar. The fast-food giant has begun construction on its 1000th Australian site, a ‘sustainable flagship’ which utilises rooftop solar and other sustainable practices as a possible model for fast-food franchises going forward.