Queensland solar retailer, Solenergy Group has completed the installation of a 401kW solar system for Cairns Aquarium, one of the top tourist destinations in Cairns and one of the city’s largest energy users, in an effort to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, and improve resilience to power spikes and power cuts during inclement weather.

The system was made possible through four 100kW HT inverters that were donated by GoodWe and Greensketch, along with additional funding from the Queensland Government’s Building Resilient Tourism Infrastructure Fund (BRTI).

With over five million litres of water on site running through 14 plantrooms and 71 living displays, housing some 16,000 fish and aquatic organisms including ocean-going sharks, rays and grouper, within a 7,800-square-metre air-conditioned building, this $400,000 renewable energy investment will provide 100% of the aquarium’s energy needs to power its Life Support Systems (LSS), which include aquatic pumps and mechanical and biological filtration that operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to provide purified water for the inhabitants.

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The renewable energy generated by the massive solar array will deliver tangible environmental benefits for the city, which includes the equivalent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 12,872 trees planted each year or the avoidance of 213,830 litres of fuel used per year or 243,017 kilos of coal burnt each year. Despite being located on the building’s 11-metre-high rooftop, visitors to the Cairns Aquarium can still see the energy generation in real time through a live display screen in the aquarium’s lobby.

“The project involved a lot of obstacles for our team, such as designing and engineering a system that could work alongside grid sourced power without impacting sensitive computerised water quality plant and equipment. Almost 700 x 585W solar panels were installed on the aquarium rooftop, occupying near 4,000-square-metres of space that also required additional design and logistical solutions for volume and weight distribution, especially for a site that operates 24 hours a day and is open 365 days a year to over 300,000 visitors from around the world,” Solenergy Group director, Mark Ridgley commented.

“We were delighted that GoodWe and Greensketch were able to donate the four inverters, to assist the aquarium and help make the project possible. We selected GoodWe HT inverters due to an overall specification focused on continual performance and maximising of solar energy yields to provide the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). In addition, the enhanced safety features such as IP66 ratings, lightning surge protection and internal humidity monitoring made GoodWe the ideal choice in a tropical climate and Cairns Aquarium’s specific application.”

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Emphasising the value of the system, Dean Williamson, Country Manager at GoodWe Australia said, “This project was an extremely important one, not only to assist the operation of a key focus of tourism for Cairns and support its economy, but also to ensure the protection and care of all the livestock in the aquarium that is all local to the region, including many endangered species. Thanks to the support of OSW’s Greensketch platform, we were able to donate the inverters needed for this massive job and help it get across the line.”

Cairns Aquarium CEO, Daniel Leipnik commented, “The hallmark of the Cairns Aquarium is our ability to educate people about the beautiful underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef and its adjoining mangrove and freshwater ecosystems. Each day our team members present educational talks to thousands of visitors about these beautiful environments and what people can do to protect the planet. Having a large-scale renewable energy power source on site demonstrates our efforts to reduce fossil fuel use and support action against climate change.”

Assistant Minister for Tourism, Bree James joined company executives to inspect the solar array.

“The Building Resilient Tourism Infrastructure Fund (BRTI): Tropical Cyclone Jasper, provided grants for impacted tourism businesses to build resilience and aid their response to future flooding and natural disasters through innovative solutions and bespoke engineering projects, such as flood prevention infrastructure, equipment such as alternative power, safety upgrades, or flood levees.

“Cairns Aquarium was one of 75 North Queensland tourism businesses to receive funding support for projects that build resilience against future disaster events.

“I’m really pleased to see the successful delivery of this project to enable a local tourism business to be better equipped with its own onsite energy generation.”

Architecture & Design Team

GoodWe

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