As part of its commitment to conservation and sustainability, Perth Zoo has harnessed the power of the sun to become Perth’s largest solar site.
With generous contributions from the Australian Government’s Solar Cities Program and the State Government, Perth Zoo worked with SunPower to install 303 solar panels at the Zoo’s South Perth site in 2010/11. The solar panels are an environmentally sustainable source of energy that reduce carbon emissions.
The Australian Government’s $94 million Solar Cities Program is a partnership between all levels of government, industry, business and local communities to trial sustainable energy solutions. By changing the way Australians view and use energy, and gathering valuable data to inform future policies, Solar Cities is creating a new energy future for Australia.
The 303 panels at Perth Zoo have been installed across eight Zoo buildings including the elephant barn, Reptile Encounter building, conference centre, reception building, retail shop, operations building and maintenance workshops.
In total, these panels are rated at 90.9kW of power and are expected to produce over 120,000kW of energy per year. The installation of the 303 panels makes Perth Zoo the largest solar site in the city.
This 90.9 kW installation is stage one of a two-stage $2.7 million project funded by the Commonwealth and State Governments.
The solar project showcases to the Western Australian community the benefits of choosing sustainable energy options such as solar power.
Next time you’re at the Zoo, look for the new solar panels. There is also a real-time display of solar energy production at Perth Zoo which can be seen at the Information Centre.
For more information about Perth Solar City, visit the website at www.perthsolarcity.com.au.
Perth has 300 sunny days a year which makes it a perfect solar city. Have you considered installing solar panels at your house?
Sunlight is free and inexhaustible. Solar power also produces no pollution and the production of solar panels uses far less energy and resources than traditional coal-powered energy methods.
A 1.5 kW system (which many households have installed) saves about three tonnes of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) per year, a similar amount to the emissions produced by driving a car 40,000 km.
If you’re considering solar panels at your home, first find out how you can reduce your energy consumption. That way you won’t need as many solar panels.
