Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club in Illawarra on the NSW coast is boosting its rooftop solar capacity to an impressive total of 414kW, adding a 314kW array to the Club’s existing 100kW system, in a move it expects to cut grid power consumption by 25 per cent.
The new array – most of which will be installed on the roof of the Club’s indoor bowling greens, pictured above – is expected to deliver savings of around $75,000 a year for the venue, both from reduced electricity bills and from the trading of Large-scale Generation Certificates.
The Club, which is an active member of the Illawarra Sustainable Clubs Alliance, says it was motivated to add the new capacity due to the recent electricity price hikes in the state.
And they are not alone. According to the latest monthly market update from solar industry analysts, SunWiz, commercial solar installs have been charting impressive growth around the nation, and currently account for 32 per cent of the market share.
Business – and households – choosing to add more solar to existing systems are also expected to play a big part in the current PV boom, as the falling cost of installing panels, and the rising cost of grid electricity, make the solar business case even better.
“Operating sustainably makes for a very compelling business case”, said Warilla Club General Manger, Phillip Kipp.
“Not only will the Club make significant cost savings but we will also minimise our impact upon the environment.
“We have engaged Rana Environmental to project manage and Smart Commercial Solar to complete the installation so we are very confident of a high level outcome,” Kipp said.
Elsewhere in the region, the Illawarra Yacht Club and Dapto Leagues Club area also installing solar systems, adding a combined 163kW of capacity.
“This project signals a trend that will see clubs and other similarly situated businesses recognise that a well-designed, installed and managed solar system is now critical to lowering their overheads,” said Smart Commercial Solar’s Anastasi Kotoros.
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
