The Adelaide City Council says it has received a big response to its incentive scheme for rooftop solar installations, batteries storage, energy efficient lighting and electric vehicle charging controllers as it aims to be the first capital city to be “carbon neutral”.
The city council said that 1MW of solar PV had been installed since it expanded its Sustainable City Incentive Scheme in July 2015, more than 800 halogen downlights had been replaced with LEDs, and 90 kilowatt hours of energy storage had also been installed.
The Scheme provides incentives for residents and businesses to install energy generation, storage, electric vehicle charging stations and energy efficiency devices (see details below). The Scheme is jointly funded by Council and the State Government.
Lord Mayor Martin Haese said the amount of solar PV generation capacity had jumped by 26 per cent in less than a year.
“This is an incredible result and shows businesses and residents are up for the challenge of becoming Carbon Neutral by 2025,” Haese said in a statement.
“We estimate that this has saved nearly 1,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, which is a great way to kick start Adelaide’s race to be the world’s first carbon neutral city.
Haese said that the scheme had attracted $10 of investment for every dollar contributed by council and the state government, and is making what many believe to be over the horizon, a reality today.
“The national landscape of energy storage and solar is changing rapidly and schemes such as Sustainable Incentives are helping make this happen,” Haese said.
“Manufacturers, suppliers and installers are continually increasing their projections around solar PV and energy storage uptake, and Adelaide is positioning itself to be a global leader in clean energy to make the most of the economic opportunities presented by carbon neutrality.
Minister for Climate Change, Ian Hunter said he was delighted that the city’s community and businesses are investing in energy efficiencies and renewable sources.
“The program has clearly tapped into the community as a resource, harnessing both their desire and their commitment to act, which we will keep encouraging through incentives and other methods,” he said in a statement.
The biggest applicant so far has been the Adelaide Zoo, which installed a 150kW solar system. The zoo is also planning to install solar at its Monarto facility.
The incentive scheme provides rebates of:
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