Congratulations to the winners in the 2017 Solar Design and Installation Awards, which were presented at All-Energy Australia on Wednesday 11 October. Read on to find out more about the winners and the finalists in the following categories:
The Stucco Project
Working with Solaray Energy, Stuart and Dean designed and installed a solar and storage retrofit on the heritage-listed Stucco Housing Co-Operative for low-income students in Newtown, Sydney. The system includes a 30 kW solar array and 36 batteries with a capacity of 42.3 kWh to provide renewable electricity to the 40 residents of the co-op. It is expected that more than 1000 low-income students will benefit from the system over its lifetime.
Booran Road Reserve
Working with Suntrix, Jason and John designed and installed a 15 kW system that powers the amenities at the City of Glen Eira’s Booran Road Reserve, a former water reservoir that has been turned into a public park. The system is mounted on the wall of the original reservoir, making the best use of the available space while preserving the site’s historical legacy.
The University of Melbourne - Parkville Campus
Working with Lean Energy, Marcus designed and installed a 162 kW rooftop solar system at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus that will be used to collect data on the best designs for commercial solar systems. Dubbed the Rooftop Solar Lab, the installation will compare the performance of micro inverters and string inverters, monocrystalline panels and polycrystalline panels as well as a number of other design alternatives.
University of Southern Queensland
Working with Autonomous Energy, Matthew and Peter designed and installed a 1.1 MW solar carpark shading system at the University of Southern Queensland. The installation is the largest solar carpark shading system in Australia, significantly reducing the university’s carbon footprint while generating approximately $1 million in annual electricity savings and large-scale generation certificate revenue.
The Lincraft Project
Working with Beacon Solar, Frank, Daniel and Astrid's innovative design used solar panels to recreate the Lincraft logo on the company’s building in Derrimut, Melbourne. The 100 kW installation allows Lincraft to reduce its energy consumption while providing it with additional marketing exposure due to its close proximity to the Tullamarine Airport flight path.