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A rooftop solar installation in Dandenong South is part of waste company Cleanaway’s $5 million national rollout of solar power systems.
Installed in December, the 220 photovoltaic panels at the company’s Perry Road depot are expected to reduce the site’s grid-power use by 23 per cent.
The 99 kilowatt system generates up to about 140 megawatt hours of energy annually – enough to power 21 homes.
Cleanaway chief operating officer Brendan Gill said it was part of a national solar energy program across 23 sites in Australia such as Coolaroo and Perth.
In all, 2.4 megawatts of PV panels will be installed by the end of 2021, generating enough power for 547 Australian homes.
Cleanaway will save more than $500,000 a year on electricity, as well as reduce its power usage from the grid by about 20 per cent.
“It makes economic sense to reduce our exposure to volatile electricity prices by generating our own power,” Mr Gill said.
“Solar PV is a proven technology with little risk, and we look forward to realising the benefits of this investment immediately and over many years.”
The project draws on a $90 million Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) corporate loan for the waste management sector.
CEFC chief executive Ian Learmonth said the solar project was a “positive” step towards zero greenhouse gas emissions.
“The waste management sector generates significant emissions through landfill and energy use.
“CEFC finance is driving real innovation in the sector by giving Cleanaway the flexibility to look beyond the waste and landfill component of its emissions, and introduce more clean, renewable energy.”
