City of Sydney extends solar roll-out to historic Rocks

The City of Sydney has expanded its solar roll out to include some previously neglected facilities, including an 80-year-old recreation centre in The Rocks that will become the 18th site to receive the ‘solar treatment’.

As part of the largest solar project of its kind in Australia, the city-owned King George V Recreation Centre has been fitted with 222 new solar panels, a total of 82kW.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City’s solar project is an important investment in a clean energy future for Sydney that will slash carbon pollution by around 3,000 tonnes a year.

“Putting solar panels on the roof of the King George V Recreation Centre is a great example of introducing new, low-carbon technology into Sydney’s historic heart,” the Lord Mayor said.

“These solar panels will provide pollution-free electricity, unlike coal-fired power which is responsible for 80 per cent of the city’s carbon pollution. While other governments stall, we’re getting on with the job of reducing our impact on the environment and future-proofing our city.

“The City plans to reduce our carbon pollution by 70 per cent by 2030 to help reduce our contribution to climate change. Along with energy efficiency in our buildings, parks, pools and streets – clean energy is a big part of making that reduction possible.”

The City’s solar installation project has passed the halfway mark, with around 2,050 panels installed across 18 sites so far.

Over the last 12 months, the solar rollout has covered Ultimo Community Centre, Redfern Oval Grandstand, Bourke and Epsom Road depots and a heritage building at 343 George Street.

The panels could produce nearly 1,953,440 kilowatt hours of electricity a year and are expected to reduce the City’s annual carbon pollution by around 2,073 tonnes, about five per cent of the City’s total electricity use.

When the project is completed, solar panels will be installed on around 30 buildings and cover a combined area of more than 12,000 square metres – nearly twice the area of a football field.