Arabic version: مشروع الطاقة الشمسية على أسطح مركز المؤتمرات الدولي في سيدني يستهدف خفض الانبعاثات
According to ABC News, the International Convention Centre Sydney is installing about 4,500 photovoltaic panels across its rooftops in a project described as the largest solar farm in any city centre in the Southern Hemisphere. The panels are expected to generate enough electricity to power up to 400 homes.
The rooftop generation, together with purchased renewable electricity, will allow the government-owned venue to be powered entirely by green energy. The project is forecast to cut carbon emissions by up to 2,000 tonnes each year, an amount the government said is equivalent to the carbon absorbed by about 100,000 mature trees.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said the upgrade could help attract more events to Sydney, describing the environmental credentials of a convention centre as a selling point. Chris Jones, head of asset management at Capella Capital, said lighter and more efficient panels would enable ICC Sydney to produce about 300 per cent more energy. He said battery storage was not an option because it would require too much space, with the grid instead used as a “synthetic battery”.
ICC Sydney is also seeking to lower its power use through upgrades including fridges and an exercise to replace thousands of lights. The venue’s existing solar panels were dismantled and will be reused by the Kindly Animal Sanctuary near Armidale in the Northern Tablelands. The panels are estimated to have another 10 to 15 years of life. Separately, the NSW government is establishing its first urban renewable energy zone in the Illawarra, while Mr Scully said officials would examine what could be scaled to other urban communities.
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