Western Australian Environment Minister Bill Marmion today launched Perth’s largest solar installation at Perth Zoo, a 102m long solar pergola supporting a 146.5kW solar photovoltaic array of 452 Sunpower solar panels.
The delivery of the iconic project, supported by joint funding by the Western Australian Government and the Australian Government through the Perth Solar City program, was welcomed by the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia (SEA).
Combined with the Stage One of the Perth Zoo, a series of installations across eight Zoo buildings including the elephant barn, reptile house, and conference, reception, retail, operations and workshops, with a total of 90.9kW of solar, the combined 237kW solar array would provide about one-third of Perth Zoo’s current energy needs and save the Zoo more than $100,000 a year in energy costs.
‘The project will help show that a large enterprise will be able to supply much of its own carbon-free electricity just with sunshine,’ says SEA chief adviser Professor Ray Wills, a guest speaker at today’s launch.
‘The Perth Zoo, with more than 600,000 visitors annually, is a great place for the State with the most sunshine to be showcasing solar solutions to the many who will have an interest in sustainability,’ says Prof Wills.
Perth Zoo will not export energy to the grid - all electricity produced from the solar arrays will be used on-site.
‘Energy efficiency is a key component of the project, a demonstration that government buildings, community centres, and businesses can better manage energy use and generate electricity for their own use, and minimise the impact of the inevitable future rises in electricity prices.’
‘With electricity prices rising all around Australia, the case for householders and businesses installing solar to generate their own electricity just gets better and better.’
‘For anyone with a mortgage, savings from installing solar redirected to mortgage repayments can take years off of your mortgage, and any business on standard business tariffs will find that the price of electricity from solar panels will prove much cheaper, and guaranteed carbon free,’ says Prof Wills.
