In April 2013, City Of Newcastle began generating its own electricity from a rooftop solar system at our Works Depot in Waratah. A 351-panel 91.26 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system was installed.
The system is producing approximately 130,000 kWh of electricity each year. The electricity is being used on-site as it is generated and is helping to reduce grid consumption at times of the day when electricity is charged at higher rates. Surplus power is exported to the grid.
The depot is one of Council’s most energy-intensive sites, with an annual electricity bill of over $100,000. Its extensive north-facing rooftop area makes it suitable for the installation of photovoltaic technology. The $198,000 project was fully funded by the NSW Government’s Waste and Sustainability Improvement Program (WaSIP).
The solar PV system will reduce Council’s exposure to rising electricity prices while helping to meet its goal of having 30% of Council’s electricity generated from low-carbon sources by 2020.
|Total project cost
|Date system switched on
|Solar generated electricity
||132,600 kWh pa
|Grid consumption reduction
||21% pa *
|Electricity and peak capacity savings
* At the time the system was completed.
|Solar panel type
|No. of panels
To find out more contact Energy & Resource Management in the Projects & Contracts Unit on 02 4974 2000.