Government buildings around Australia may soon be bristling with re-deployable rooftop solar panels under a new project supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Chief Executive of ARENA, Darren Miller said Australian start-up company, Solpod had developed an innovative way of fixing solar panels to roofing by using a re-deployable racking and mounting system, offering the ability to quickly remove the panels to be used elsewhere.
“This innovation allows commercial tenants to access rooftop solar,” Mr Miller said.
“The $5 million project will see Solpod’s re-deployable solar panel systems installed at 25 sites across Victoria, NSW and Queensland, totalling nearly 2.5 MW capacity.”
He said that in partnership with ERM Power, Solpod’s system would be trialled at Government and commercial buildings as well as shopping centres.
“Solpod’s new way of installing solar will pave the way for businesses who were previously locked out of rooftop solar to take up renewable energy solutions and options under shorter-term power purchase agreements,” Mr Miller said.
“This Australian start-up will help to accelerate solar PV innovation and allow for renewable energy alternatives in niche markets, providing a cost-competitive alternative to standard methods of fixed mounting for delivering rooftop grid-connected solar PV.”
Chief Executive of ERM Power, Jon Stretch said the system was set to revolutionise the way large scale commercial solar energy was rolled out in Australia and the rest of the world.
“Solpod’s innovation in commercial solar installation is ground breaking,” Mr Stretch said.
“Commercial buildings, logistics and large scale industrial operators can purchase pods or lease them, and enjoy the benefits of significantly lower solar installation costs,” he said.
