Panda power

The Kew Recreation Centre in Victoria is an impressive site from the air, featuring one of the area’s largest rooftop solar installations.

The City of Boroondara had dual concerns of climate change and rising electricity prices in mind when it decided to investigate installing a solar system at one of the council’s largest sites. Council approached EnviroGroup, a member of Yingli Solar’s YINGLI 4 YOU partner program, for advice on how to determine and create the most sustainable and suitable solution for the aquatic and health facility.

The City of Boroondara is serious about renewable energy, with Kew Recreation Centre being the 10th council site to incorporate a solar installation since 2010. It’s also the largest, according to former Mayor of Boroondara Councillor Coral Ross, as well as being a project that realises ongoing benefits.

“This is by far the largest solar project we have undertaken — embracing solar energy, not only do you save money by generating your own power, but you also reduce your carbon footprint. It feels good on all fronts,” she said.

The system installed includes a massive 365 PANDA 270 W N-type monocrystalline series modules, 72 of which utilise cutting-edge DC optimiser technology from Tigo. The 99 kWp solar array is installed across a number of rooftops and generates power equivalent to taking 45 medium-sized cars off the road.

“Having been on the roof to look at the sea of solar panels, I can certainly say they are a magnificent sight!” said Ross.

“But even more striking is the contribution they will make to reducing our reliance on energy from fossil fuels. They will also reduce our electricity bill,” she said.

The expected savings equate to an emissions reduction of 190 tonnes and $16,000 per annum.

The system also incorporates an SMA Sunny Tripower 25000TL inverter and is expected to yield around 131,270 kWh annually.

Image credit: ©Yingli Solar