The city of Melbourne is considered as the most livable city in the world. Melbourne is a huge tourist attraction for Australia and the city holds something for everyone who visits. But is Melbourne keeping up with the times and following the rest of the world by becoming a solar city?
Melbourne council have produced new maps of the city to demonstrate the amount of space Melbourne has for greening projects such as cool roofs, gardens and solar panel installations.
The council’s boundaries include a stretch from the CBD into Carlton, the Docklands, Jolimont and Parkville. Within this area, there is 880 hectares of roof space available to play with.
As it stands, quite little of that area is being used to make Melbourne a more sustainable city. Instead, these spaces are generally used to store basic heating and cooling equipment (not forgetting our famous scattered rooftop bars). Green projects such as solar panel installations are only covering a small 7.8 hectares of the available roof space in Melbourne council’s boundaries.
The map below gives a clear understanding of how the available space is currently being used:
The potential for solar power across Melbourne is massive. There are currently 1077 solar panel systems and solar hot-water systems installed over just a 2.4 hectare area.
637 hectares of city roof space may have the capacity to house solar systems. The map below shows what the rooftop capacity for solar looks like in the heart of the city:
Melbourne still has a long way to go and is no way near a 100% renewable energy city yet, however it does have the potential. The available space and sunny climate is there to help make Melbourne a solar city.
Do you own a home or business in Melbourne? A solar panel installation could be perfect for your property to reduce your energy costs, reduce your carbon footprint and help make Melbourne a solar city.
Call Energis today and speak to one of our friendly experts about a solar power system for your own unique energy needs.
1300 782 217
Very nice article.
Very informative article.