Australia selects fourth solar city

CANBERRA, Australia, April 25, 2007. The government of Australia will provide Aus$12.3 million to install solar PV panels on 230 buildings and 1,000 solar hot water systems in the Northern Territory town of Alice Springs.

It is the fourth city in Australia to receive funding under a federal program promoting solar power, ‘Solar Cities.’ North Adelaide was the first city selected last August, and has been followed by Townsville in Queensland and Blacktown in New South Wales.

The public-private consortium running the program in Alice Springs will contribute an additional $17 million to install the solar electric and solar thermal systems, as well as provide energy efficiency measures and smart metering. Combined, the four solar cities will reduce GHG emissions by 76,000 tonnes each year by installing 3,200 PV panels on private and public buildings, conducting 7,000 energy efficiency consultations and assist 250,000 residents and businesses to learn how to reduce their energy use.

“Alice Springs has the ingredients for a successful Solar City - the highest concentration of sun in Australia, an international tourist hub with a rich natural and cultural heritage, and a committed and enthusiastic consortium willing to put the project into action,” says environment minister Malcolm Turnbull. Systems will also be installed at Alice Springs Airport and three other public facilities.

The project will save 10,500 kWh in electricity demand and displace the emission of 12,000 tonnes of GHG emissions.

In June 2004, prime minister John Howard allocated $75 million towards the initiative in the Energy White Paper, ‘Securing Australia's Energy Future.’ Solar Cities will be implemented by the Department of the Environment & Water Resources through trials in the four grid-connected urban areas around Australia.

“It is a great victory for everyone who has worked so hard to win the bid,” says NT chief minister Clare Martin. “It sends a strong message to the world that the Northern Territory is strongly committed to energy conservation and savings.”

The NT government will provide $4.9 million towards the $21 million project. The consortium will include Alice Springs Town Council, NT government, NT Power & Water Corporation, Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, Arid Lands Environment Centre, Tangentyere Council and the NT Chamber of Commerce.

Solar Cities is a program to demonstrate how solar power, smart meters, energy efficiency and new approaches to electricity pricing can provide a sustainable energy future in urban locations. Funding will also come from the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program, which has a budget of $329 million to increase the uptake of renewable energy technologies in remote areas of Australia.

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