Alice Springs Goes Solar

Alice Springs Goes Solar

   
April 2007 - Alice Springs has been named as Australia's next Solar 
City, a designation that enables the tourist town to receive 
government funding for solar installations. It joins Adelaide, 
Townsville and Blacktown, which all have signed onto the Solar 
Cities program within the past year. 
With A$12.3 million in funding through the Australian 
government's Solar Cities program, the Alice Springs Solar 
City consortium is working with all sectors to change how 
people power their homes and businesses. 
The consortium consisting of the Alice Springs Town Council, 
Northern Territory Government, Northern Territory Power and 
Water Corporation, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research 
Centre, Arid Lands Environment Centre, Tangentyere Council and 
the Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce will contribute an 
additional $17 million to the project. 
Solar panels will be installed at the Alice Springs Town 
Council Civic Centre. 
Chief Minister Clare Martin was jubilant. "Alice Springs will 
become one of the most environmentally friendly and energy 
efficient towns in the country," she said. 
With a population of about 26,500, Alice Springs is a town 
that has embraced solar energy technology - half of its 
households already use solar hot water systems. 
"It sends a strong message to the world that the Northern 
Territory is strongly committed to energy conservation and 
savings," Martin said. 
Surrounded by Australia's sunny red rock desert country, Alice 
Springs is a center for tourists who come to visit the famous 
Uluru, also called Ayers Rock. 
International tourists and residents flying in to Alice 
Springs will soon see two solar dishes at the airport where 
solar energy concentrator dishes will be installed in up to 
four locations to harness sunlight for energy needs. 
Large solar systems will be installed at three other locations 
- the town hall, the sewage treatment facility and an arts 
center. 
The town of Alice Springs 
Solar photovoltaic systems will be installed in 225 homes and 
five commercial premises in Alice Springs, providing 1.3 
megawatts of solar power. One thousand homes will receive 
solar hot water heaters. 
There will be a trial of smart meters in 50 businesses and 350 
homes, combined with a "time of use" tariff to encourage 
customers to reduce their energy useage during peak hours. 
Residential and commercial customers will be offered a range 
of energy efficiency services and products, including 
walk-through energy audits. 
"It's wonderful that our support for Alice Springs to join the 
Solar Cities program has paid off," said Martin. "The NT 
Government, Alice Springs Town Council, the Australian 
Greenhouse Office and several other organizations have all 
worked together to make this happen." 
Australian Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that 
together the first four Australian Solar Cities will reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions by 76,000 metric tons each year. 
"These Solar Cities will install over 3,200 solar photovoltaic 
panels on private and public housing and other buildings, 
conduct almost 7,000 energy efficiency consultations, and 
assist more than 250,000 residents and businesses to learn how 
to reduce their energy use and save money," Turnbull said. 
This solar concentrator dish near Alice Springs is the type 
that will be installed at the town's airport. 
"Solar Cities is an innovative way to bring together solar 
technologies, energy efficiency, smart metering and better 
electricity pricing to create more energy sustainable 
communities," said Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane. 
Adelaide became Australia's first Solar City in August 2006, 
installing 1,700 photovoltaic panels on homes and businesses 
for a total of two megawatts of solar power and a reduction of 
30,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. 
Townsville, Queenvironment newsland followed in September, and Blacktown, 
New South Wales became the third Solar City in November. 
The Alice Springs Solar City will receive its funding through 
the Australian government's $75 million Solar Cities 
initiative and the Renewable Remote Power Generation 
Programme. 
The Renewable Remote Power Generation Programme aims to 
increase the uptake of renewable energy technologies in remote 
areas of Australia that presently rely on fossil fuel for 
electricity generation. 
Both programs are part of the Australian government's climate 
change strategy that has committed A$2 billion to develop 
clean, low emission technologies, build an effective global 
response to the issue, increase understanding of climate 
change science, and help communities adapt to the impact of 
climate change. 

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