Magnetic Island has undergone a sustainable energy transformation to help change the way people think about and use energy – now and into the future.
The Magnetic Island Solar Suburb initiative was undertaken by Ergon Energy as part of the Townsville Queensland Solar City project. Through a range of initiatives carried out on Magnetic Island, Ergon Energy aims to reduce 'peak demand' and electricity usage, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save customers money and defer investment in augmenting the network.
The key results for the townsville Queensland Solar City project to 30 June 2012 are as follows:
- Reduced maximum demand of 10.5% from the 2008-09 peak and 0.9% less than last year. Compared to the Solar City Business Case, annual maximum demand in 2011-12 was 40% below that predicted without the intervention of the Solar City project, and 19% ahead of the target set.This means that $17 million worth of investment in an additional cable has been deferred for eight years.
- Energy consumption was 1.6% less than in the previous year. This is a 46% reduction when comparing business as usual with the impact of the Solar City project, and 29% below the target set for the project. This translates to savings to customers of $1.784 million.
- Energy savings resulted in CO2e savings of about 54,000 tonnes to date which has exceeded the project target of 50,000 tonnes.
- 415 kilowatts of photovoltaic panels were installed in 2011-12. Ergon has now installed 1068 kW in 211 systems and the whole consortium now has a total of 1208 kW in 222 systems installed.
- The Townsville City Council through the Citysolar program engaged the community in various ways to identify the barriers to change and is working with the community to make those changes. There is strong evidence emerging that behaviour change brought about by comprehensive energy assessments and extensive community engagement is resulting in a noticeable reduction in electricity consumption.
For more information on the achievements of the project, contact Solar City Community Engagement Manager Julie Heath on 0408 862 520. You can also visit the Smart Lifestyle Centre on Horseshoe Bay Road at Horseshoe Bay, open by appointment.