Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard

SMA sponsorship helps Central Coast community

SMA Australia has partnered Superior Solar and Hanwha Q.CELLS to provide affordable energy for not-for-profit organisation Coast Shelter, located in Gosford, New South Wales.

 

The 20.4 kW solar energy system comprises two SMA Sunny Tripower 10000TL inverters and an SMA Sunny WebBox. Superior Solar carried out installation of the rooftop plant that also incorporates 80 Q.Cells solar modules.

Coast Shelter provides support to the homeless and disadvantaged community through initiatives such as free meals, interest-free loans, accommodation and electricity vouchers, helping individuals to become self-sufficient. The organisation has recently relocated to a new building that will allow it to service a larger portion of the community and provide greater assistance to those in need. 

The generation of electricity through photovoltaics (PV) will help Coast Shelter to reduce electricity bills, as well as to support a sustainable environment while they work to create a sustainable community. The energy consumption, yield, output and CO2 reduction of the system is publicly available through SMA’s online monitoring solution Sunny Portal. SMA is also offering its Remote Service as a part of its sponsorship which is a complete inverter monitoring service.

Additional funding for the solar PV system was provided through financial support from Federal Government and the local community, as well as through Coast Shelter. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was present to celebrate the launch of the building, which is named after Executive Officer of Coast Shelter and Former Mayor of Gosford Laurie Maher.  

Maher says he believes strongly in energy conservation and green energy. The Coast Shelter also has a grey water system installed. “Being a not-for-profit organisation, we are conscious of the level of funds available and rising electricity prices. We wanted protection against this volatility and to reduce the amount of funds spent on power bills,” says Maher.

The money saved through using solar will allow Coast Shelter to increase their services to the community, which is crucial in light of census results released this week showing an increase in homelessness. The Coast Shelter currently has four youth refuges, one women’s and children refuge plus seven women and children cottages, one men’s refuge plus a number of other transitional properties for families. 

“It is rewarding to be involved in a project like this which enhances the standard of living in the local community and re-iterates the message of sustainability,” says Anna Brazil, Marketing Director of SMA Australia.