The $3 million project will see 13 solar arrays – comprising over 1,300 individual PV solar modules – mounted on the roof of the Crowne Plaza Alice Springs hotel.
Due for completion in early 2009, the combined solar arrays will generate nearly 1,500 kilowatts (kW) per day, or over 530,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year. The PV installation will provide between 40 and 80 per cent of the hotel’s power requirements depending on the time of year, reducing its carbon footprint by 420 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
The project is a joint initiative between the owner of Crowne Plaza Alice Springs, Investnorth, and the Federal Government. The initiative is part of the Alice Solar City Project – one of the seven cities selected for funding under the Australian Government’s $94 million Solar Cities Program.
Investnorth Principal Lloyd Berger said the system is a vital part of improving the hotel’s energy profile, made more viable by the fact that Alice Springs has the highest solar resource of any town in the country.
“With this project, our intent is to minimise the hotel’s environmental impact and carbon footprint by making the property more energy efficient and reducing its reliance on fossil fuels,” he said.
The project follows an eco-audit the company conducted in late 2007 that highlighted the enormous potential offered by the hotel’s location to make a substantial difference to its impact on the natural environment.
The hotel will be making efforts to engage its guests with the project’s benefits. For example, a solar PV channel will link each guest room’s television to a real-time explanation of energy savings, as will an animated LCD display in the hotel foyer. Both will draw data from the rooftop solar arrays to demonstrate current power output, total energy generated and equivalent greenhouse gas emissions saved.
Other recommendations made during the eco-audit that will be implemented include the installation of solar hot water, decommissioning of steam boilers and replacement of inefficient lights and fittings throughout the hotel.
SunPower Corporation Australia will provide the solar panels for the system and will be responsible for its installation over a ten week period, employing a minimum of twelve local contractors.
SunPower designed, engineered and is currently installing the system at Crowne Plaza Alice Springs with its own designed and manufactured solar PV cells.
The system developed consists of a total of 1,326 SunPower SPR230 modules, totalling 304.98 kW peak. Multiple inverters will be used to convert the DC output of the panels to AC power suitable for connection to the hotel’s electrical distribution boards. Based on an energy efficient household using 12 kWh of electricity per day, this system would produce enough energy to power 120 households over a year.
Senior Project Manager with CAT Projects Lyndon Frearson said the benefits of Crowne Plaza Alice Springs solar array installation will extend well beyond the tourism industry.
“At a local level, the project will assist in reducing the total load on the Alice Springs town grid by about 0.5 per cent, or 250 kW of the 50,000 kW maximum generated in the middle of summer.”
The project will inject more than $450,000 into the local economy. It will also provide local electrical apprentices and professionals with an opportunity to gain experience on grid-connected PV systems, enhancing their ability to gain further work within the renewable industry in Central Australia.
According to Alice Solar City General Manager, Brian Elmer, the project is the first of several large-scale solar installations scheduled to be established in the region over the next few years.
