Congratulations to the winners in the 2019 Solar Design and Installation Awards, which were presented at All-Energy Australia 2019 on Wednesday 23 October 2019. Read on to find out more about the winners and the finalists in the following categories:
Winners - Scott Hansen, William Andersson and Hugo Lima
Working with Smart Commercial Solar, Scott and William designed and installed a 25 kW three-phase off-grid solar system with an 86 kW hour battery at a large property in rural New South Wales. In addition to saving the client more than $80,000 in grid connection costs, the installation serves as an excellent case study for the Australian market as an early deployment of a three-phase off-grid system.
Winner - Johnson Lee
Working with Australia Wide Solar, Johnson designed and installed a 4 kW solar PV system with 10 kW hours of battery backup at Sydney’s award-winning Welcome to the Jungle house. By vertically-mounting the solar panels on the building, the installation demonstrates integrated sustainability in architectural design while creating an attractive facade and freeing up space for a rooftop garden.
Winner - Nigel Phillips
Working with Electrical Sensations, Nigel designed and installed a grid-connected solar system on St Anthony’s Catholic Church in Queensland using an innovative and aesthetically pleasing design in the shape of two crosses. The installation also required the design of an in-depth monitoring system to allow the client to monitor the new system, a pre-existing solar system and their electricity usage on a single circuit.
Winners - Jamie Thorncraft and Natalie Collins
Working with Todae Solar, Jamie and Natalie designed and installed an 87 kW solar system on a custom-built floating steel structure at the Australian Technology Park in Sydney. The unique mounting structure matched the aesthetics of the building while providing shade for a playground. It also freed up space on the roof for Australia’s first indigenous rooftop garden, which is powered by the solar system.
Winners - Christopher Hackett and Dimitar Liev
Working with GEM Energy, Christopher and Dimitar designed and installed a 638 kW solar system on the roof of the cafeteria and Crocoseum at Australia Zoo. As well as the usual safety considerations, the installers faced unique access constraints that involved avoiding encounters with crocodiles and tigers. The system will significantly reduce the zoo’s large electricity bill by helping to heat crocodile ponds and power facilities for thousands of daily visitors.