Said to be Australia’s largest Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) project, installation of the solar panels for Queensland’s Carrara Stadium (now known as Metricon Stadium) has now been completed.
Netherlands-based Scheuten Solar produced the 600 custom made solar panels, each weighing 110 kilograms, which were integrated into the roof of the structure around its internal rim. The solar panel installation is 5 metres wide and 450 metres in length and has been named the “Solar Halo”.
With a 200kW capacity, Scheuten Solar says the grid-connected array is Australia’s largest BIPV project to date. The system will generate approximately 20 percent of the stadium’s forecast annual energy consumption, enough to provide for the electricity needs of more than 250 Queensland homes.
The Queensland government invested $4.4 million to build the solar panel edge on the new stadium roof.
Building-integrated photovoltaics are solar panels designed in such a way to replace conventional building materials in parts of a building envelope such as the roof or skylights.
Other green initiatives at the stadium include an LED lighting control system, rainwater harvesting of 650,000 litres capacity for the flushing of toilets and high efficiency air conditioning with a chilled water thermal storage tank.
According to the Metricon Stadium web site, the venue also also recycles glass, paper and cardboard, green waste and co-mingled recyclables with the aim of recycling approx 75% of its waste.
Metricon Stadium re-opened earlier this year following a $144 million redevelopment into a 25,000-seat stadium. According to Queensland’s Department of Public Works, flexibility of the new design means capacity of the venue can be increased to 40,000.
Metricon Stadium was jointly funded by the Queensland Government ($71.9m), Commonwealth Government ($36m), Gold Coast City Council ($23m) and the AFL ($13.3m).
