South East Water goes solar
South East Water’s head office in Frankston, WatersEdge, has switched on a 99 kW rooftop solar panel system, enabling the building to meet more than 10% of its energy needs.
The system comprises 384 panels covering 620 m2 and will feed into the building’s electricity network, including its data centre, which houses more than 300 servers. It was switched on by Member for Frankston Paul Edbrooke on 16 January, following installation from EnviroGroup.
Set to generate an average of >350 kWh per day, the system is expected to deliver up to a third of the electricity used at WatersEdge during the summer months. It will thus be a welcome addition to the building’s existing range of environmental features, including rainwater capture and LED lighting systems.
The installation forms part of South East Water’s pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a target established by the Andrews Labor Government in the Water for Victoria plan. The utility has a range of other carbon mitigation projects underway in order to achieve the targets set out in the plan, including:
- hydroelectric generation using energy from its pressure management systems in the water network;
- solar installations at water recycling plants and key pump stations;
- integrating solar energy into South East Water’s pressure sewer network, as demonstrated last month on the Peninsula ECO project;
- greater fugitive emissions capture, such as the thermophilic anaerobic digestion process at the Mt Martha water recycling plant upgrade.
ACCC guidance on emissions claims to consumers released
The guidance aims to assist businesses in making accurate, credible emissions claims and to...
Industry transitions from gas to renewable heat: report
More than 230 Australian industrial sites and commercial buildings will have switched from gas to...
Industrial electricity costs could halve by sharing infrastructure
Heavy industry could reduce electricity costs by up to 50% by sharing renewable infrastructure...
