Showground Goes Green

An $8 million solar panel installation at the Adelaide Showgroundâs new Goyder Pavilion will be the largest rooftop photovoltaic installation in Australia - five times the size of the next largest installation at Melbourneâs Victoria Markets.
As part of the initiative around 10,000 square metres of solar panels will be installed, generating 1,400 mega-watt-hours (MWh) of solar electricity.
Funded by the State Government of South Australia, the solar installation is likely to generate enough power to meet all of the power requirements of the Goyder Pavilion and 40% of the annual electricity needs of the Showground as a whole. As Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society Chief Executive John Rothwell explains âit will also save around 1,400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.�?
Featuring a 3.5-million litre underground water tank and 1,000 kilowatts of solar panels, the Adelaide Showgroundâs new Goyder Pavilion will be one of the most environmentally friendly exhibition centres internationally when it opens in August.
The $50 million Goyder Pavilion development, which includes an 8,000 metre2 exhibition space and 16,000 metre2 outside entertainment area, will be self-sufficient in water and energy use.
The state-of-the-art facility, which will further enhance the Adelaide Showgroundâs ability to accommodate exhibitions, public events and dining functions for up to 2,000 people, will be officially opened on 18th August.
The development is featured in the July/August 2008 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.