Blog Viewer

Eighty pallets of solar panels, weighing up to 800kg each, were airlifted onto the roofline of Renewal SA’s Line Zero building and TAFA SA’s campus at Tonsley Innovation District on Saturday 7 May, as part of an expansion of the District Energy Scheme.

2,000 panels were heli-lifted onto the buildings from 6.30am, in what was a major logistical exercise over 10-hours, involving 160 separate pick-up and set-down runs.

The Stage 2 installation – which covers an area around the size of 2.5 football fields – doubles the capacity of the existing solar asset laid on the roof of Tonsley’s Main Assembly Building (MAB) in 2020, which at the time was one of Australia’s largest rooftop-mounted solar arrays.

Renewal SA General Manager, Project Delivery and Property, Todd Perry said once operational, the new panels will increase the district’s solar capacity to 5 Megawatts – the equivalent of powering 340-plus homes at Tonsley Village a day.

“Tonsley has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable and innovative outcomes since its inception,” Mr Perry said.

“The District Energy Scheme is a great example of that commitment because it gives businesses within the district surety and access to reliable, renewable energy at a cheaper rate without having to rely on supply from the national electricity grid.

“Combined with the existing solar panels atop the MAB, the new panels will collectively generate up to 80% of Tonsley’s energy demand.”

Continue Reading