Northern Beaches Council has installed a total of 119 kW of solar panels at its Cromer and Balgowlah depots, as part of its pledge to the Cities Power Partnership to adopt best practice energy efficiency measures across council buildings.

The solar panels will supply almost 30% of Cromer’s energy needs and almost 40% of Balgowlah’s energy requirements.

Mayor Regan said the installation reflected Council’s commitment to further invest in renewable energy.

The systems will reduce carbon emissions by 120 tonnes, the equivalent of taking 26 cars off the road every year. They will also offset approximately 145,000 kWh of coal fired electricity and save Council about $40,000 in electricity costs every year.

“It’s a great investment; the set-up outlay is paid back in just over four years from energy cost savings and it’s good for the environment. A real win-won situation,” Mayor Regan said.

“This initiative is very much in line with our pledge to the Cities Power Partnership, which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to real action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

“Our aim is to be a community leader in environmental sustainability, a goal contained in our Community Strategic Plan.

“This project provides an excellent, timely opportunity to invest in renewable technologies particularly as energy costs continue to rise and the capital cost of systems continues to fall,” Mayor Regan said.

“Council undertook a solar feasibility study for Council’s top electricity consuming sites. It was identified the Cromer building and Balgowlah Depot were the top priority sites.”

The addition of the two sites brings the total to 381kW of solar panels installed across 34 Council buildings.