Opal Aged Care’s Solar Power Rollout

Opal Aged Care is installing more than 10,600 solar panels at 54 of its properties across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland as part of a broader energy efficiency program.

In total, more than 3.4MW of capacity is to be installed, which is expected to be completed by early next year. The program is being managed by energy services firm Verdia.

Another aspect of the program is upgrading lighting, which according to Verdia accounts for around 35 per cent of total energy consumption at a typical aged care facility. More than 28,000 LED lights are being installed across the 54 properties.

The new LED’s aren’t just energy sippers but also provide a better quality of lighting and will last up to five times as long as previous lighting technology used; which included Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and conventional fluorescents.

” We spoke to staff and residents to get feedback and make sure the new lighting was comfortable, produced a better ambiance and helped those who needed a better light because of fading eyesight,” says Verdia.

The program will reduce grid electricity consumption by approximately 42 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent.

At one site, Opal Macquarie Place in Cameron Park New South Wales, where a 100kW commercial solar system and 800 LED lights have been installed, annual electricity cost savings are estimated at $53,000 a year.

Opal Aged Care operates 70 homes in four states.

In other recent news from Verdia, the company announced last month it will be managing the rollout of 10,000 solar panels across three Coca-Cola Amatil sites in three states, helping to slash the beverage giant’s annual energy costs by up to $1.3 million. The systems will have a combined capacity of just over 3.5MW and are projected to generate 5,273MWh of clean electricity a year. It’s estimated the sites will draw 14% less energy from the mains grid post-installation.

Coca-Cola Amatil Managing Director for Australian Beverages Peter West said the installations will pay for themselves in six to seven years, plus provide an expected additional $14 million benefit over their service life.

Verdia has been involved with a number of other high-profile commercial solar projects across Australia, including Stockland’s rollout. In October last year, Stockland announced a program that will see total of 39,000 solar panels installed on major shopping centres in three Australian states.

Early this year, Verdia stated 35 of Australia’s top 200 electricity consumers were working with the company to develop and install an estimated 130MW of behind-the-meter commercial solar PV systems.