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Perth Zoo is sporting a new 146.5kW solar array, becoming Perth’s largest solar installation. The PV array is built on a 334 foot long canopy and uses 452 SunPower panels. Funding for the project was jointly received from the Western Australian Government and the Australian Government through the Perth Solar City program.
This new installation, combined with the Stage One installations on eight Zoo buildings, including the elephant barn and reptile house, brings the Zoo’s solar capacity to 237kW. The solar energy produced will provide about one-third of the site’s current energy needs, with Perth Zoo noting that it will not export energy to the grid, but rather use all energy produced on site.
“The project will help show that a large enterprise will be able to supply much of its own carbon-free electricity just with sunshine,” says SEA chief adviser Professor Ray Wills. The Perth Zoo, with more than 600,000 visitors annually, is a great place for the State with the most sunshine to be showcasing solar solutions to the many who will have an interest in sustainability.”
