Sun rises on new status at Adelaide Showground

Adelaide Advertiser
Thursday 4/2/2010 Page: 50

Adelaide Showground's urban solar energy plant is officially a power station. The Federal Government has added Adelaide Showground Solar to the Register of Accredited Power Stations, under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. Adelaide Showground chief executive John Rothwell said this meant the showground could earn renewable energy certificates for every MW-hour of electricity fed back into the grid from its 12,720 panels across six rooftops.

The certificates can be traded, providing an extra revenue stream. "It demonstrates that solar panels can supply electricity on a commercial basis," Mr Rothwell said. The installation has the capacity to generate more than 1400 MW hours of electricity a year, enough to power 250 South Australian homes. This would save 1400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

Mr Rothwell said the installation would provide 40% of the showground's power needs. "This is expected to generate a substantial saving on our annual energy costs," he said. The State Government-funded $8 million 1.4MW installation was a joint effort by Built Environs and Solar Shop Australia. Solar Shop Australia managing director Adrian Ferraretto said he hoped it would the first of many.

"It was a really a big boost for the solar energy industry in Australia because up until this system was put in, we hadn't cracked the MW," he said. "We're hoping that it opens up the floodgates so we'll have many multi-MW systems being installed within Australia." Mr Ferraretto said while SA was leading the nation on solar energy, Australia was still well behind other countries. "On a global scale it's pretty modest," he said. A spokeswoman for Premier Mike Rann said the Adelaide Showground was under no obligation to repay money to the State Government.