The challenge

As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, Randwick City Council sought to boost its green energy generation capacity.

The solution

Randwick City Council engaged Solgen Energy to design a complete end to end solar solution to expand its existing 24 kilowatt solar electric system on the roof of its Works Depot at Maroubra.

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A 36 kilowatt hour (kWh) solar electric system was installed, covering 326.5 square metres of the Maroubra Depot’s roof, creating the largest local government rooftop solar electric system in Australia.

The recent installation incorporates 216 Schott photovoltaic (PV) modules, generating up to 58 megawatts of electricity annually – enough to power almost eight homes for twelve months and preventing 58 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year.

Environmental impact

The system provides 25 per cent of the Depot’s annual electricity demand and saves 59 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Comprehensive monitoring equipment was also installed, enabling council staff to analyse and review the energy savings achieved from the new system.

Project success

Acting Mayor Margaret Woodsmith said that she hoped this latest initiative would encourage other local councils to further their sustainability practices.

Environmental credits & CDM update

There are a number of domestic and international markets that now exist for what can be termed environmental credits – this is where other attributes to the generation of electricity are recognised and rewarded. Businesses active in the sustainable energy industry need to be aware of the emerging opportunities that may be available both in Australia and overseas.

The following information has been provided by Nextgen and relates to the spot prices, in Australian dollars, at the end of the relevant month.