Cleanaway’s material recovery facility (MRF) in Coolaroo will soon be harnessing the power of the sun.
The waste management company is investing about $5 million in solar energy systems across 23 sites, including Coolaroo, in a bid to reduce its electricity demand from the grid and its annual power bill.
Chief operating officer Brendan Gill said Cleanaway was installing 2.4 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) panels, which would be capable of generating about 3.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity each year – enough to power 547 Australian homes.
The work is expected to be completed this year.
“It makes economic sense to reduce our exposure to volatile electricity prices by generating our own power,” Mr Gill said.
He said Cleanaway expected the installation of solar panels to reduce its annual electricity bill by about 17 per cent, or more than $500,000 a year, and annual electricity usage from the grid by about 20 per cent.
“In choosing which of our 250-plus sites were to be powered by the sun, we prioritised those that were likely to provide the fastest payback of our investment, but also considered factors such as roof size, angle, pitch and age, and operational hours,” Mr Gill said.
“About 1.6 MW of panels are already in place and the remaining 0.8 MW will be being installed by the end of this year.
“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.
“Given the scale of our operations we’re aware that we can make an impact with improvements like this. The program is another example of how we’re working towards our mission to make a sustainable future possible for generations to come.”
