C&I solar

New data from market firm SunWiz shows Australian households and businesses installed a further 262 MW of solar on their rooftops during the month of April, pushing the year-to-date total up 7% on the corresponding time last year.

Australia’s largest nuclear organisation has turned to solar to supply part of its energy requirements in a move that is expected to deliver savings of about $2 million over a five-year period.

Dreamworld on Queensland’s Gold Coast is now home to the largest solar system at an Australian theme park after the operators teamed with Origin Energy to install a 708 kW rooftop array that is expected to generate almost one quarter of the park’s annual electricity needs.

One of the largest single rooftop solar panel installations at an Australian airport is approaching completion with Brisbane Airport Corporation announcing that a 1.2 MW rooftop system being fitted to new warehouse at the venue is nearing commissioning.

Industrial property giant ESR has signed a partnership deal with C&I solar company Solar Bay. The pair say it will see $500 million (USD 318 million) spent over the next decade to deliver up to 50 MW of solar, 300 MW of battery storage capacity and EV charging infrastructure.

Researchers in Canada have found that nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs) with on-site solar energy generation should not exceed an energy use intensity (EUI) of 50 kWh/m2a, which they said corresponds to a maximum of 10 floors. They also ascertained that the maximum permitted EUI by net-zero energy status is 17–28 kWh/m2a.

One of Australia’s major winemakers has taken a big step forward in its transition to 100% renewable energy, switching on what it claims is the largest winery solar installation in the country. The 2.6 MW rooftop and carport array is the continuation of a wider trend of winemakers adopting solar to bring down energy costs and strengthen their brands.

Building materials company Etex Australia has installed a 1.45 MW rooftop system on its factory in Altona in southwest Melbourne.

Melbourne-based company Green Peak Energy has attracted the backing of one of the world’s largest investment firms, CBRE Investment Management. While deal’s details remain confidential, the Australian company, which focuses on operating renewable systems in the C&I segment and providing power purchasing agreements (PPAs), described the agreement as an endorsement of the problem it set out to solve.

Officeworks jumped on the bandwagon of businesses in Australia committing to 100% renewable electricity in the next five years. Both Bunnings and Officeworks announced their plans in the last week, sparking calls for Target and Kmart, which are also in the Wesfarmers portfolio, to follow suit.