Award winners light the way for booming solar industry

PRESS RELEASE

The Clean Energy Council congratulates the winners of the 2017 Solar Design and Installation Awards, which were announced yesterday at the All-Energy Australia Exhibition and Conference in Melbourne.

Clean Energy Council Executive General Manager of Installation Integrity, Sandy Atkins, said the winners demonstrated the excellence that we have come to expect from the Australian solar industry.

“As the solar industry continues to grow, so too does the complexity and ingenuity of solar installers. The winners of this year’s awards showed an exceptional level of innovation and professionalism, and fully deserve the recognition of their peers,” Mr Atkins said.

“This year’s winners range from Australia’s largest solar carpark shading system to a small installation at a suburban public park, but all involved novel solutions to overcome a unique set of challenges.

“The standard of entries in this year’s awards was particularly high, making the job of selecting the winners extremely tough for the judging panel of independent solar industry experts. I thank all those who took the time to submit an entry to the 2017 Solar Design and Installation Awards.”

• Winners were announced across four categories: • Under 30 kW – grid connect
• Under 30 kW – grid connect with battery back-up
• 30–240 kW

•Over 240 kWThe full list of winners in the 2017 Solar Design and Installation Awards is as follows:

Under 30 kW – grid connect

John David O’Brien and Jason Hua, working with Suntrix, for an installation at the Booran Road Reserve public park in Melbourne. This 15 kW installation powers the amenities at a former water reservoir that has been turned into a public park. The system is mounted on the wall of the original reservoir, making the best use of the available space while preserving the site’s historical legacy.

Under 30 kW – grid connect with battery back-up

Stuart Bruce and Dean Edmonds, working with Solaray Energy, for an installation at the heritage-listed Stucco Housing Co-Operative for low-income students in Sydney. The system uses 30 kW of solar panels and 36 batteries to provide renewable energy to the 40 residents of the co-op. It is expected to reduce the energy costs of more than 1000 low-income students over its lifetime.

30–240 kW

Marcus Lim, working with Lean Energy, for a 162 kW installation at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus that will be used to collect data on the best designs for commercial solar systems. Dubbed the Rooftop Solar Lab, the installation will compare the performance of various solar design alternatives to find the best option for any given application.

Over 240 kW

Matthew Linney and Peter Cook, working with Autonomous Energy, for the installation of a 1.1 MW solar carpark shading system at the University of Southern Queensland. The installation is the largest solar carpark shading system in Australia and will generate approximately $1 million in annual electricity savings and large-scale generation certificate revenue for the university.

For more information on the winning projects, visit the Clean Energy Council awards page.

All-Energy Australia 2017 is held in partnership with the Clean Energy Council and runs from 11-12 October in Melbourne. Entry to the main conference and exhibition is free.