Ballarat benefits from investments in solar power

Two new solar electricity systems in Ballarat are reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, delivering the same benefits as planting more 500 trees on the city’s streets.

A 65 kilowatt solar electricity system installed on the rooftop of the city’s Phoenix Building is already reducing electricity usage at the Ballarat City Council owned building by 20%.

As part of a $100,000 investment into solar energy, the Council has also installed a 15 kilowatt system at the Robert Clark Horticultural Centre in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens – expected to cut electricity usage at the gardens by 45%.

In total, both energy systems will cut Ballarat’s energy consumption by about 100,000 kilowatt hours per year.

Ballarat Councillor Belinda Coates, a firm advocate of the benefits of solar energy, said the $100,000 project would offer a return on investment to the council in five to six years.

Councillor Coates anticipates savings of about $16,000 per annum, telling local newspaper The Courier “it’s been a longtime coming.

“We got the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance to do the feasibility to work out where we could get the best bang for buck in terms of environmental benefits but also energy saving and cost savings.”

Councillor Coates said she hoped the initiative would ramp up the council’s efforts in becoming more “clean and green.”

The Phoenix Building is the Council’s main administration building and is currently in the top four largest users of electricity across all the Council’s facilities.

The investment followed similar models rolled-out at the Mining Exchange, operations depot and the Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre.

Image: The Robert Clark Horticultural Centre in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. 

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