The New South Wales government has revealed plans to expand the rooftop solar network across Sydney’s International Convention Centre (ICC) at Darling Harbour with more than 4,500 PV panels to be installed on its rooftop.
A 550 kW solar array was installed atop ICC Sydney when it opened almost 10 years ago but the older panels were too heavy to be deployed on certain sections of the rooftop. With lighter panels now available, the centre is working to increase the size of its solar footprint.
Once completed, the 2 MW solar array will encompass more than 18,400 square metres across the Convention Centre, Exhibition Centre and Entertainment Centre rooftops, making ICC Sydney home to what the state government said will be the largest solar farm in any city centre in the Southern Hemisphere.
NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said based on annual solar generation, ICC Sydney will become the fourth-largest solar-powered convention centre in the world and the largest outside the United States.
“This is a great example of how we can unlock greater renewable energy generation and use in urban areas and power a vibrant city by taking advantage of building rooftops,” he said.
The expanded system is expected to generate about 2.6 GWh of clean energy annually. The extra capacity will enable ICC Sydney to be powered by 100% renewable electricity obtained through a combination of the rooftop solar and renewable energy procurement.
ICC Sydney CEO Adam Mather-Brown said the project marks another important milestone in the centre’s sustainability journey and reinforces its commitment to leading environmental performance across the global business events sector.
“The expanded solar network will allow us to generate significant renewable energy on-site while supporting our clients’ sustainability goals and helping reduce the carbon footprint of events hosted at ICC Sydney,” he said.
Work on the project has already commenced with solar decommissioning, recycling, and repurposing specialist Second Life Solar on site this week to remove the old PV panels.
The company said every panel and major component removed from the site will be individually assessed to determine its highest-value next use. Panels suitable for continued service will be professionally tested and electrically certified for reuse, while panels and materials that have reached the end of their useful life will be directed through accredited recycling partners to recover valuable resources including aluminium, glass and copper.
About 150 of the decommissioned solar panels have already been donated to the Kindly Animal Sanctuary near Armidale, where they are expected to remain functional for an additional 10 to 15 years.
Second Life Solar founder James McGregor said historically, the panels would have ended up in landfill but projects like ICC Sydney show how Australia’s growing number of ageing solar systems can be responsibly managed through circular economy principles.
“Australia has done an incredible job deploying solar over the past two decades,” he said. “The next challenge is making sure we manage these valuable assets responsibly when they’re upgraded.”
“If a panel is suitable for reuse, let’s find it a second life. If it has reached the end of its
useful life, let’s recover the valuable materials through responsible recycling. That’s
what a circular economy looks like.”
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
You have no items in your basket.
