news.smh.com.au
July 23, 2010
Queensland's first community solar farm will power a hospital and water treatment plant. Premier Anna Bligh travelled to Hervey Bay on Friday to announce two solar power projects, which will cost a total of $4 million. Half of the funding will go towards developing the state's first community solar farm at the 120ha Fraser Coast Water Recycling Innovation Centre and Arboretum.
The solar park, which is to go to tender, will consist of about 1500 solar panels each measuring 1.5 metres by 1 metre, taking up about two hectares. The total area will be 10ha, giving the local council room to expand the project. Ms Bligh said the solar farm would feed energy into the electricity grid, offsetting the power involved in water and wastewater treatment in Hervey Bay and the arboretum project.
The project, which is subject to development approvals, is expected to begin later this year and be operating in early 2011. Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said if successful, the community solar farm could be replicated throughout the state. "Energy savings provided by a 400kW solar installation have the potential to save around 600 tonnes of carbon emissions every year, or the equivalent energy use of about 70 households", he said. Ms Bligh said the region's other $2 million project involved installing solar power panels on the roofs of the region's health service facilities.
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