Australia’s largest single solar power roof system will soon kick into action on top of a regional shopping centre in Wollongong, New South Wales.
The project on Shellharbour Shopping Centre, owned by property group Stockland, will have the capacity to produce up to 1.22 megawatts of energy, and will provide almost 30 percent of the centre’s daily energy needs.
The system, set to be fully operating by the end of this month, is made up of 3,991 photovoltaic panels installed across an area of 7,658m.
Construction on the $330 million redevelopment of Shellharbour Shopping Centre finished in 2013, and was designed in consultation with the Buchan Group. The centre carries a 4 star Green Star rating for a range of sustainability measures.
Murdoch University solar energy researcher David Parlevliet said the project was a positive move for renewable energy in Australia.
“It’s fantastic to see commercial enterprises taking up renewables in such a big way”, he said. “It’s really showing their committment to renewable and sustainable development, and that’s always a good sign.”
He said the project could be indicatative of wider trends in solar power.
“Certainly theres a lot more production of renewables within the economy that are outside the large power plants,” he said.
As of March 2015, Australia has a total energy capacity of 4,100 megawatts from solar power sources.
The move by Stockland forms part of its overall plan to have a 1.35 megawatt capacity to produce renewable energy at its shopping centres.
Stockland group executive and CEO of commercial property John Schroder said that the project helped to demonstrate the company’s leadership in sustainability.
“We truly believe in the ability for solar to change the energy landscape in Australia, and this system is an important step in that direction within the large scale commercial property arena,” he said.
Other solar rooftop projects:
1. A project at the old Mitsubishi factory in Adelaide announced in Feburary 2015 will overtake Shellharbour Shopping Centre when completed, with the system set to have a 3 megawatt capacity.
2. The University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus hosts a 1.22 megawatt capacity system, but the panels are split across the roofs of four buildings.
3. Goyder Pavilion in the Adelaide showgrounds hosts a single solar power rooftop system capable of producing 1 megawatt of energy.
4. An Ikea store in Tempe, New South Wales hosts a single solar power rooftop system capable of producing .99 megawatts of energy.
