Alice Springs Solar City
The Alice Springs Solar City consortium is working with government, businesses and the local community to rethink the way they produce energy.
Practical benefits for the local community
Alice Springs is located in the centre of Australia and receives one of the highest levels of sunshine in the country. The remote location of Alice Springs, and its role as one of Australia's premier tourist attractions, will ensure that the Alice Springs Solar City iconic solar power installations are highly visible to national and international visitors.
The Alice Springs community is committed to renewable energy with approximately 50% of all households already using solar hot water systems.
Energy options being trialed through the Alice Springs Solar City include:
- Residential and commercial photovoltaic systems that will provide solar energy for Alice Springs. Incentives for photovoltaic uptake include a buy-back tariff for energy sold back to the grid.
- Several large-scale iconic solar power installations.
- 1000 domestic solar hot water systems
- 850 'walkthrough' energy audits to help the community better manage their energy use. With customers receiving reductions of up to 20 per cent off their future energy bills.
- 400 smart meters in 50 businesses and 350 homes, combined with a time-of-use tariff to encourage customers to reduce their energy use at times of high demand on the grid.
The Solar Cities trials in Alice Springs will provide information about energy use that may be useful to other remote communities in Australia.
Additional benefits
Additional benefits of the Alice Springs Solar City include:
- savings of around 10,667 kWh per annum in electricity demand
- reduced greenhouse emissions of 12,000 tonnes of CO2 each year
- increased public awareness and interest in more efficient, sustainable energy use.
Consortium members
The Alice Springs Solar City consortium is joining with the Australian Government in delivering this project. The consortium is led by the Alice Springs Town Council with consortium members including the Northern Territory Government, Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation, Tangentyere Council, Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the Arid Lands Environment Centre.
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