Nursery Traders’ use of large on-site roof
expanse demonstrates that building roofs represent multi-purpose
assets.
We utilise our roof space to:
- capture water for re-use
- make the best use of natural light through the use of carefully placed
fibreglass roof sheets
- capture clean, renewable solar energy.
Aiming to source the majority of the nursery’s power needs from renewable
energy, we installed a total of 228 * 210 watt Kyocera solar photovoltaic panels
on two of our largest roofs in two separate 114 panel systems.
Kyocera
solar panelsAt commissioning, in March 2010 this project formed
Australia’s largest installation of Kyocera solar panels and Aurora
inverters—and the largest installation of its type in Queensland’s private
sector.
Today, our solar power system now turns a utility expense into a revenue
stream where we sell excess green power to the Queensland grid. In addition, by
using this renewable energy we are removing on average over 70,000 kilograms of
CO2 emissions each year.
Annually we generate over 67,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to
power 4.8 million compact florescent light bulbs for an hour. With
ever-improving power saving measures we expect to see yearly increases in the
supply of green power we make available to the Queensland electricity grid.
Our energy use changed over the years:
- from 2009 when we used 52,813 kilowatt hours
- to 2010 when we exported (net) 9,125 kilowatt hours
- and most recently in 2011 when we exported (net) 20,993 kilowatt
hours.
Our target now is to be a zero footprint business by end of 2025—zero
water, zero power and zero waste.
Our daily solar power energy production for this month is illustrated below.