Crown casino installs record-breaking 923 solar panels on car park roof in green credential boost

HARVESTING sunshine in the inner city has taken a big step forward with Crown Casino installing a record number of solar panels on top of its multi-level car park.

HARVESTING sunshine in the inner city has taken a big step forward with Crown Casino installing 923 solar panels on top of its multi-level car park.

The 300 kilowatt photovoltaic system is believed to be the biggest in the CBD and will generate enough power to run the equivalent of 70 homes.

A recent report said that the solar panel potential of the CBD was largely untapped, and estimated that 38 per cent of total roof space could be fitted with up to two million panels producing enough to power 112,000 average-sized houses.

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Crown has the biggest solar panel system in Melbourne’s CBD. Picture: Tony Gough

Crown Casino is trying to boost its green credentials.

Crown capital works manager Jeremy Sampson said the organisation had been looking at solar energy options for a long time but until recently it had been too costly.

“There have been some recent changes in gas and electrical pricing, and suddenly it made business sense to proceed,” he said.

Some of Crown’s 923 solar panels. Picture: Tony Gough

Crown group sustainability manager Kristy Rogan said it was a no-brainer.

“It’s almost a perfect project for Crown,” she said.

Crown’s move into solar has the environmental equivalent of planting about 15,000 trees, and will cut carbon emissions from its Clarke St building by 14 per cent.

The firm is likely to install more panels on top of its main complex.

A recent report by the Australian Photovoltaic Institute and University of NSW said that CBD businesses could cut their collective power costs by more than $100 million through rooftop panels.

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The City of Melbourne has installed 983 kW across 24 sites since 2003.

This includes 1328 panels at Queen Victoria Market and 800 panels across North Melbourne Football Club and North Melbourne Recreation Centre.

As at December 2016, 709 small-scale solar installations were in households and businesses in the municipality.

Total installed capacity in the municipality is estimated at 4850 kW.

@JMasanauskas