NSW Hospitals will become more energy-efficient with the installation of solar panels.
According to a recent press release, the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai, Fairfield, Canterbury and John Hunter hospitals will receive AU$ 8.1 million to install solar panels.
About the Initiative
John Hunter Hospital will be the biggest hospital solar panel project in Australia. The AU$ 3.2 million installation of solar panels will cover 12,000 square metres of roof space.
Meanwhile, nearly AU$ 1.5 million will be spent on the installation of solar panels at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital.
Solar panels are being installed at Blacktown Hospital and are due to go live in February 2020. The hospital is expected to save AU$ 194,000 every year in electricity costs.
Port Macquarie Hospital was the first in NSW to have solar panels installed under this initiative. Since June 2018, nearly AU$ 224,000 has been saved on electricity costs.
Minister for Health Brad Hazzard explained that this initiative shows the benefits of using solar energy to save the hospitals’ money as well as reduce the carbon footprint.
By making the hospitals more energy-efficient, these solar projects will help bring the costs down. It will, therefore, free up funds that can be invested back into the health system.
Solar Panels Explained
Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, or solar panels, are a way of capturing sunlight and converting it into electricity. They reduce the amount of electricity needed from the grid, which lowers energy costs.
The average Sydney household can save up to AU$ 900 a year by installing a 4-kilowatt solar system on their roof.
Solar technology is getting better and cheaper wherein an average 4-kilowatt rooftop solar system could be paid off in less than five years through lower energy bills.
Solar has a number of environmental and economic benefits, including:
- Reducing carbon footprint
- Lowering electricity bills
- Potentially attracting financial incentives from retail energy provider
Solar Panel Initiatives in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian countries have also initiated solar panel projects to help reduce carbon footprint, particularly to address the issue of climate change. OpenGov Asia had reported on some of these initiatives.
Singapore will install more solar panels on housing flats by 2030.
The installation of more solar panels in HDB apartment complexes fits in with Singapore’s aim of cutting down on carbon emissions at 324,000 tonnes per year.
The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has announced plans with the aim to develop a solar capacity of producing 540 megawatt-peak (MWp) by 2030, which is on par with powering about 135,000 four-room flats with clean energy, over the next 10 years.
The use of new technologies will allow for more solar energy to be produced from the same amount of space on HDB rooftops.
The government aims to increase its overall solar capacity to at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2030, as part of its efforts for fighting climate change.
Meanwhile, Thailand is set to get the world’s largest hydro-floating solar project.
A Thai-Chinese consortium has signed an EPC contract to build the world’s largest hydro-floating solar hybrid project for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
This project’s development is consistent with the government’s policy to support electricity production from renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation according to the current Power Development Plan of Thailand (PDP2018).
The solar panels selected for the project are crystalline double glass module which is suitable for being installed on the surface of the water. The solar panels, inverters and cables will be installed on HDPE plastic floating platforms, with UV resistance ability.
In 2018, the first Philippine floating solar farm was launched.
A 10 kilowatt-peak (kWp) floating solar farm was commissioned on Laguna Lake within Baras, Rizal province with the intention of supplying the town with clean and free energy.
The project is the first floating solar farm in the Philippines, thereby opening the possibility of using energy from the sun beyond the traditional ground-based and rooftop-mounted systems.
The 10kWP project is designed to last for 25 years. A connecting station was also built, allowing residents to use the power generated for charging gadgets, powering sound systems, and lighting up the river.