|
|
 |
27 October 1999
Solar Panel Installation at North Lakes Heralds Environmental and Commercial Benefits
The newest generation of solar panels – roofing material that generates enough electricity to run a home - will be installed at North Lakes today in a first for this type of technology in a residential development in Australia.
The Canon thin film solar PV (photo voltaic) panels being provided by Queensland based renewable energy systems group, EnviroPower, will be installed on the Sales and Information Centre at the new North Lakes master planned community in Pine Rivers Shire.
The panels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce enough excess electricity that residents, using the same system as being placed on the Sales and Information Centre, will be feeding it back into the State's electricity grid.
In a program developed with EnviroPower and local energy retailers, North Lakes are exploring opportunities to incorporate the solar power roofing on some homes.
North Lakes Project Director, Mr Guy Gibson, said North Lakes' association with EnviroPower provided environmental and financial benefits for both the commercial and residential aspects of the development.
North Lakes is a new town for 20,000 to 25,000 people being developed by Lend Lease Development and the Lensworth group of companies on a 1,000 hectare site adjacent to the Bruce Highway at Pine Rivers.
Around 8,500 new homes, a major town centre, a business park, and supporting community services are proposed to be built over a 15 to 20 year period. EnviroPower National Business Manager, Mr Neil Thompson, said North Lakes home buyers would benefit from a forthcoming Federal Government subsidy for rooftop solar PV systems which originated as part of the GST deal.
"In fact, under the scheme being explored for North Lakes, new homes incorporating this technology will be 'greenhouse gas neutral' for light and power requirements," Mr Thompson said.
"This means that the rooftop solar power system produces enough electricity during the day to match or exceed that which is drawn from the mains at night."
"Today's solar power installation represented a giant leap forward for society, turning what will be the way of the future into a viable option for today.
"In essence, the system is quite simple, but uses advanced technology to make it commercially viable and architectualy attractive," Mr Thompson said.
"The grid connected solar power panels work by obtaining 100% of their energy from the sun.
"An inverter then produces high quality power which supplies the local load, or is exported to the electricity grid system.
Mr Thompson said for the first time, the rooftop solar power system can be incorporated into the building as an architectural feature, and is able to be fully integrated as part of the roof of a new building.
"This technology is very different from the solar power systems of old which were usually not aesthetically pleasing, and did not have the advantage of government subsidies," Mr Thompson said.
Formed by Century Yuasa earlier this year, EnviroPower's regional headquarters are based in Brisbane and their consortium of business partners include Network Design & Construction (NDC) (the former design and construction arm of Telstra), and Canon Australia's solar vision.
These partners have joined together to establish a major renewable energy systems manufacturing and distribution industry in Australia to service domestic and regional markets.
Similar installations have also been recently undertaken by EnviroPower on Battery World retail outlets, such as the national head office at Rocklea in Brisbane, and others are planned for other national retail outlets, universities and schools in order to help inform the public and business community of the benefits of the technology.
The installation at North Lakes, however, represents the first major residential development in Australia to utilise Canon's technology.
The first residential precinct in this benchmark development is currently under construction and is selling off the plan.
Event: EnviroPower solar panel installation at North Lakes
Date: 27.10.99
Time: 1.00pm
Location: North Lakes, Anzac Avenue
(meet at the temporary Sales and Information Centre, just off Anzac Avenue)
Editor's Note: Lensworth Group
Lensworth Group is the owner of the 1,000 hectares on which North Lakes is being built. It also owns substantial land holdings at Caboolture and Caloundra which are for future development.
Lensworth Group is developing the master planned communities of Glenmore Park in New South Wales and Kawana Waters in Queensland.
Editor's Note: Lend Lease and North Lakes
The Lend Lease Group has been involved in a broad range of retail, commercial, residential and community developments around Australia over the last 40 years.
North Lakes is one of five major communities being master-planned by Lend Lease in key regional centres and capital cities on Australia's eastern seaboard. These communities will be developed progressively over the next eight to fifteen years.
The communities under development are: North Lakes near Brisbane; Jacksons Landing on Sydney Harbour; the Newington Olympic Village in Sydney; St Mary's in Western Sydney; and Waterford Green in Melbourne. In relation to these (and other) developments the Lend Lease Group has involvement with some 30,000 residential lots.
Overseas, Lend Lease is master-planning a major commercial and residential community adjacent to its Bluewater retail and leisure destination on the outskirts of London, England.
Lend Lease has operated in Queensland since 1963 and is one of Australia's top 20 companies with more than 10,000 employees world-wide engaged in real estate and financial services activities.
Ends...
For further information:
Hollie Brassington
Marketplace Communications
Ph. 3358 4777media
|