SunPower Completes Australia’s Largest Roof-Mounted Solar System

SunPower Corp., a manufacturer of high-efficiency, solar cells, solar panels, and solar systems, has completed construction on a 305-kilowatt SunPower solar power system atop the roof of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Invest North Pty Ltd. is the owner of the project, which is the largest roof-mounted solar power system in Australia.

“We are proud that Invest North chose SunPower’s high-efficiency solar panels to help power its flagship hotel in Australia,” said Bob Blakiston, managing director of SunPower Australia. “This installation is a testament to the growing adoption of solar energy on commercial and public buildings. The Crowne Plaza Hotel’s solar electric system is expected to provide between 40 and 80 percent of the hotel’s power requirements, depending on the time of year.”

The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage, and Arts (DEWHA) provided financial backing for this project as part of Australia’s AUD $94 million Solar Cities Program.

“Through the support of the Rudd Labor government, projects such as this set a clear standard for what is expected of Australian companies when reducing their environmental impact,” added Blakiston.

SunPower entered the emerging Australian solar market in 2008, with the acquisition of Solar Sales Pty Ltd. Solar Sales had partnered with SunPower for several years prior as a leading systems integrator and product distribution organization.


1 COMMENT

  1. Greetings from John Power, editor, ‘Facility Management’ magazine, Melbourne, Australia.

    Many thanks for an interesting article. We ran a similar piece on Crowne Plaza in the Dec 08-Jan 09 issue of our magazine, featuring additional information about solar research being undertaken at the new Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre (www.dkasolarcentre.com.au).
    See our magazine archive (pages 34-41) for more details.
    All the best,
    John Power