Paget group’s solar solution wins national sparkies’ gong

It is the second year in a row they have won the award.

WIN: Paget business Linked Group Services has taken home a national electricians award.

A PAGET-BASED business has been recognised on the national stage for its innovative solar solution made in Mackay.

For a second year in a row, Linked Group Services received the Energy Efficiency Project of the Year Award at the annual Master Electricians Australia national awards.

The group’s managing director Jason Sharam and chief executive Peter Shaw accepted the award during the ceremony on Saturday night at the Hilton in Brisbane.

The group scooped the award for its mobile off grid power station that enables the replacement of diesel generation with renewable energy.

The power station was created for BHP’s Blackwater Mine as a replacement for a solar solution that had failed on a radio tower at the site.

Linked Group Services chief executive Peter Shaw and managing director Jason Sharam received the Energy Efficiency Project of the Year Award.

Mr Sharam said the power station created by Linked Group Services “looked after itself” and has “practically zero ongoing running costs”.

“The mine was running on a diesel generator 24/7 because their solar system had failed,” he said.

“They haven’t had to use the backup generator since the new system was installed.”

Mr Sharam said the group had since received other interest in the power station and was planning to manufacture more in the near future.

“We’ve also been getting a lot of interest overseas. We’re hoping it might become quite a good opportunity to grow the business and employ more people,” he said.

“We’re pretty stoked to get this award for the second year in a row.

“It will be a bit of a challenge to think what we’re going to come up with next year.”

The mobile off grid power station created by Linked Group Services.

It has been a busy few months for the group, which is also being subcontracted to install a 1.5 megawatt solar carpark at Townsville’s Willows Shopping Centre.

Regional Queensland sparkies dominated the hotly contested field of entries from across the country at the Master Electricians Australia awards.

Three of the eight gongs were taken home by North Queensland-based electricians, with six awards in total going to sparkies from the Sunshine state.

MEA chief executive Malcolm Richards said the awards recognise the talent within the industry, while also demonstrating the core MEA values of quality, safety and high standard of service.

Originally published as