State Water goes solar for site operation
20 January 2011
Two 110 watt solar power systems are being installed on State Water Corporation’s Muggabah and Merrimajeel regulator sites near Booligal, NSW as part of an ongoing strategy to reduce operating costs and improve environmental performance.
The installation will power regulator gates as part of a project funded under the Rivers Environmental Restoration Program – a joint NSW and Australian government initiative to arrest the decline of iconic wetlands in NSW.
State Water’s general manager strategic assets Amit Chanan said the corporation had five existing solar powered regulator gate sites, with a further six planned in the near future.
“Currently we have solar sites in the Riverina area at the Tombullen inlet and outlet regulators as well as Tarabah, Forest Creek and Waddy Cutting offtake regulators,” Mr Chanan said.
“The solar systems allow each of these sites to operate independently from the electricity grid by generating enough power to run the regulator gates, fishway gates and radio for communications.”
New solar installations are planned for weirs on the Macquarie and Lachlan systems at Warren, Booberoi, Gonowila, Torriganny and Yallakool and the North Marsh Bypass Channel regulator.
State Water environmental engineer Lindy Hoang said renewable energy sources was one action the corporation identified following the 2009 carbon footprint analysis report.
“As part of reducing our carbon footprint State Water’s energy management plan outlined strategies to reduce energy consumption, costs and greenhouse gas emissions to meet the NSW Government’s energy reduction targets.”
The Rivers Environmental Restoration Program is jointly funded by the NSW Government and the Australian Government’s Water for the Future - Water Smart Australia Program and aims to support wetlands through water recovery, effective management of environmental water and the sustainable management.
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