Cairns Council Releases State Of The Environment Report

Cairns Regional Council’s 14th annual State of the Environment report covering 2018/19 shows more positive progress in various areas, including solar energy generation.

Among the highlights of the report that was released yesterday, close to 17 per cent of construction and demolition waste created during the period was recovered through the introduction of concrete recycling. Also on the recycling front, 855 tonnes of crushed glass was sent to market in 2018/19 – up 49.6 per cent compared to 2017/18. On a related note, there was an overall 3 per cent reduction of general waste received by Council.

Tree planting related activities also continued, with Council’s nursery raising more than 35,000 seedlings: up close to 138% on the previous year.

Cairns Council And Solar Power

While only around 40kW of new solar capacity was installed in 2018/19, the report notes a big jump in solar energy generation, with electricity produced by solar panels increasing by 168 per cent for 2018/19. This was the result of around 800kW of capacity addition during the previous period. By the end of 2018/19, solar power was providing 4 per cent of Council’s total electricity needs.

The following shows cumulative installed solar capacity totals since 2013/14:

• 2013/14 – 79.4 kW
• 2014/15 -79.4 kW
• 2015/16 – 79.4 kW
• 2016/17 – 244.2 kW
• 2017/18 – 1,043.0 kW
• 2018/19 – 1,082.9 kW

Total solar electricity production figures for all sites over the same period:

• 2013/14 – 85,000 kWh
• 2014/15 – 85,000 kWh
• 2015/16 – 85,000 kWh
• 2016/17 – 227,300 kWh
• 2017/18 – 552,416 kWh
• 2018/19 – 1,480,421 kWh

A Big Solar Energy Boost For 2020/21

The report also notes an additional 1.78MW of ground mount solar was planned and associated funding committed in 2018/19. We mentioned these projects last month, which involve five waste water treatment plants in the Cairns region. One of those projects was almost complete in June this year and work had started on another, and three were to be completed this month.

Bifacial solar panels have been used in these installations, which capture light from both sides of the module. This is where another of Council’s sustainability efforts comes into play. The reclaimed concrete mentioned earlier on is crushed and has been used as ground cover at the sites to reflect more light and reduce grounds maintenance.

There may be even more solar power for Cairns Council in the years ahead as in December 2019 it began investigating options for achieving a potential target of zero net emissions by 2030.

If you live in the local government area and are considering harnessing the power of PV your home, you can find a list of good solar panel installers in Cairns here.