Katherine High School will get a rooftop solar installation as part of the Northern Territory government’s renewable energy plan, the Katherine Times reports.
The rooftop solar installation forms part of the NT government’s $5 million Rooftop Solar in Schools program. So far, in Round One of the program, ten schools have received $1.5 million in funding to install solar panels on their roofs.
Eight of these installations should be completed by the end of June 2019, including the one in Katherine.
According to the government, the other seven schools are in the Casuarina, Palmerston, Wulagi, Nhulunbuy, Gillen, Tennant Creek and Nightcliff regions.
As well as cheaper and cleaner energy, the goals and benefits of the NT solar-in-schools installations include:
- Industry stimulation and creation of local jobs.
- Reduction of school energy costs by up to 40 per cent.
- Potential redirection of the savings from the solar installations towards education budget.
The monitoring and measuring equipment that comes with the systems is also considered useful for facilitating innovative school science projects.
Solar in Schools part of NT government’s renewables plan
The Rooftop Solar in Schools program also forms a part of the NT government’s wider ‘Roadmap to Renewables Plan’. A major goal of this plan is its 50 per cent renewables target by 2030.
Renewable energy in the Territory currently sits at about 4 per cent of total energy, with the remaining 96 per cent coming from gas and diesel. Many of the region’s gas turbines are ageing and can be slow to kick in when there is a spike in demand.
The NT renewables plan aims to:
- Improve electricity and security.
- Put downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices and improve affordability.
- Reduce carbon emissions.
- Stimulate local economic development and investment, which should also improve investor certainty.
- Create jobs and promote industry growth.
- Encourage rooftop solar panel installations and behind-the-meter energy storage.
- Change Feed-in-Tariffs to reflect demand at different times of the day.
In addition, existing gas turbine assets will not be left stranded. Instead there are plans to utilise them within the new energy system.
NT forging ahead with rooftop solar installation
Minister for Renewables Dale Wakefield said the Territory government is “leading the way with solar” and is also investing in major projects to achieve its renewables target.
Earlier this year the government also approved construction of a 25 MW solar farm near Katherine, which will integrate renewable energy into the Darwin-Katherine power network.
