Mixed Greens: NSW aged care facility joins solar club

A NSW aged care facility has become the latest commercial building in its region to make the switch to solar PV. Inspired by a similar installation at the Yass Soldiers Club, Yass Valley Aged Care (YVAC) decided to invest in a 100kW PV system, which was installed by Ygrene Energy, using six 15kW 15MT2 grid connected inverters and one 10kW 10MT2 inverter for the solar PV system, made by Swiss company SolarMax.

“Yass has seen a growing interest in solar PV systems and the work we’ve done for the Yass Soldiers Club has fuelled the desire,” said Timothy Davaris, owner and CEO of Ygrene Energy. Completed on target, the  YVAC installation is expected to generate an average of over 448kWh of solar power daily and to reduce the facility’s energy bills by over $52,000 a year.

In other news…

Danish wind energy giant Vestas Wind Systems has posted its first quarterly profit in nearly three years, revealing a net Q4 income of €218 million ($US295 million) in a results statement that beat analyst expectations, as well as the company’s own forecasts for revenue, cash flow and margins. The world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturer hit hard times in mid-2008 – the beginning of a market slump that saw its shares tumble more than 96 per cent by November 2012. This week’s results cap a two-year turnaround program, in which the company cut 30 per cent of its work force and sold or closed 12 of its 31 factories. Bloomberg reports that the company is now seeking to raise capital by issuing new shares, in an attempt to shore up financial stability and generate new business.

Another Australian winery has successfully installed solar PV, with the Hunter Valley’s Drayton’s Family Wines today switching on its 800 panel, $83,000, 200kW solar system. According to NSW winemaker, the system was funded by the federal government’s Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program. Federal Liberal member Bob Baldwin said the desire to lower carbon footprints, and drastically reduce energy bills was driving businesses like this to switch to solar. And he encouraged other local businesses to consider renewable energy to cut costs in the long run, reports ABC Online.