{"id":21370,"date":"2018-05-10T06:16:11","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T19:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=21370"},"modified":"2018-05-10T06:16:11","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T19:46:11","slug":"mackay-council-solar-mb0579","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/","title":{"rendered":"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_21372\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21372\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21372\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg\" alt=\"Solar energy - Mackay Council\" width=\"700\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar-300x191.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21372\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/solar-power-solar-panels-862602\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> schropferoval<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>The $2 million Queensland&#8217;s Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Council announced yesterday it had awarded a tender to Akcome Power Pty Ltd. that will result in solar power systems installed at 21 council facilities<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCouncil, like households, has been hard hit by rising electricity prices,\u2019 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mackay.qld.gov.au\/about_council\/news_and_media\/media_releases\/solar_project_to_save_council_and_ratepayers_millions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> said<\/a> Mayor Greg Williamson. \u201cThis fairly modest initial outlay is an investment in the future which will provide ongoing cost savings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Mayor isn&#8217;t exaggerating when stating Council is feeling the pinch of high electricity costs. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mackay.qld.gov.au\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0007\/217807\/Financials_2017_-_QAO.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According to<\/a> notes accompanying financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2017, Mackay Regional Council electricity costs were $7,103,713; up from $6,017,223 during the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Facilities to have solar installed include the Mackay Entertainment &amp; Convention Centre Artspace, Bluewater Lagoon, Dumbleton Weir pump station, libraries, pools, sewerage treatment facilities, admin buildings, waste transfer facilities and council depots.<\/p>\n<p>There was a great deal of interest in the opportunity, with 16 shortlisted Expressions of Interest (EOI) respondents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/council-solar-mackay-mb0321\/\">invited to tender<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As well as knocking down power bills, the solar panels will help Council in its efforts to become a low carbon region; part of which includes increasing the percentage of its total energy consumption from renewable sources.<\/p>\n<p>Councils across Australia have been flocking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/commercial-solar-guide.html\">commercial solar<\/a> solutions to rein in electricity costs and slash emissions as the technology has become even more accessible in recent years thanks to significant reductions in the cost of components.<\/p>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t Mackay Council&#8217;s first brush with solar energy. Panels were installed on the Administration building at the Paget Depot precinct as part of a broader sustainability drive at the facility, which saw Council winning the Built Environment Award\u00a0 at the 2012 Premier\u2019s Sustainability Awards.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21371\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21371\" class=\"wp-image-21371 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/paget-depot-solar.jpg\" alt=\"Rooftop solar panels\" width=\"700\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/paget-depot-solar.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/paget-depot-solar-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21371\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paget Depot Solar Installation | Google Earth<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/installers\/mackay\/\">Solar power in Mackay<\/a> is already very popular among local residents and businesses. More than 7,358 small scale PV systems of less than 100kW capacity had been installed in the 4740 postcode as at March 31, representing 32.2MW capacity. That figure had grown by around 390 systems since we last reported on a tally in November.<\/p>\n<p>With a population just over 80,000 according to 2016 Census statistics, the collective capacity translates to around 400 watts per person; significantly higher than the Australian average of ~280 watts per capita. With ongoing uptake and Council&#8217;s efforts, it should continue to climb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The $2 million Queensland&#8217;s Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":21372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-battery-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The $2 million Queensland&#039;s Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The $2 million Queensland&#039;s Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-09T19:46:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"446\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Bloch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\"},\"headline\":\"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-09T19:46:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/\"},\"wordCount\":416,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Solar &amp; Storage News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/\",\"name\":\"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-09T19:46:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"The $2 million Queensland's Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":446,\"caption\":\"Image: schropferoval\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"General Solar &amp; Storage News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/\",\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1\",\"name\":\"Michael Bloch\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Michael Bloch\"},\"description\":\"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power","description":"The $2 million Queensland's Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power","og_description":"The $2 million Queensland's Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2018-05-09T19:46:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":446,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Bloch","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Bloch","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1"},"headline":"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power","datePublished":"2018-05-09T19:46:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/"},"wordCount":416,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg","articleSection":["General Solar &amp; Storage News"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/","name":"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-09T19:46:11+00:00","description":"The $2 million Queensland's Mackay Regional Council will plow into solar energy will save ratepayers nearly $17 million in electricity costs over the next two decades.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg","width":700,"height":446,"caption":"Image: schropferoval"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/mackay-council-solar-mb0579\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Mackay Regional Council Investing $2 Million In Solar Power"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66afd571aa00c2e442f0192ebac2f6f1","name":"Michael Bloch","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c65d1fbade4404d88617552594a54366d8ca4a78bd617a48e64f9340c0b5dc09?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Michael Bloch"},"description":"Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/michael\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/mackay-council-solar.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-5yG","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17029,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/council-solar-mackay-mb0321\/","url_meta":{"origin":21370,"position":0},"title":"Mackay Council Solar Project Goes To Tender","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"November 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In a move to reduce its operating costs, Queensland's Mackay Regional Council intends installing solar panels on twenty more of its buildings.\u00a0\u00a0 Last September, council called for expressions of interest (EOIs) to investigate its renewable energy options. Some of the options suggested included waste-to-energy plants, solar farms, small-scale site based\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"More solar panels for Mackay Regional Counci","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/solar-panels-mackay.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/solar-panels-mackay.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/solar-panels-mackay.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/solar-panels-mackay.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21472,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/australian-councils-solar-energy-mb0583\/","url_meta":{"origin":21370,"position":1},"title":"Australian Councils Flock To Solar Power","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"May 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Australian Local Government Climate Review 2018, published early this month, reveals the nation's councils are performing well in delivering energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. A collaborative effort from Beyond Zero Emissions, ICLEI Oceania and Ironbark, the report is based on review of 537 Australian local government websites and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar power and Australian councils","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/council-solar-power.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/council-solar-power.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/council-solar-power.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/council-solar-power.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14955,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-power-bundaberg-council-mb0203\/","url_meta":{"origin":21370,"position":2},"title":"Bundaberg Regional Council Saving Big Bucks With Solar Power","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"September 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The use of solar power has been so successful for Queensland's Bundaberg Regional Council, solar panels have become virtually mandatory on any new infrastructure and building upgrades where practical. \u201cWhile the obvious environmental benefits are a crucial aspect of Council\u2019s involvement in solar energy, it has been the significant savings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"solar electricity savings - Bundaberg, Queensland","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/solar-panels-bundaberg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/solar-panels-bundaberg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/solar-panels-bundaberg.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/solar-panels-bundaberg.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24396,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/sunshine-coast-solar-award-mb0754\/","url_meta":{"origin":21370,"position":3},"title":"More Accolades For Sunshine Coast Solar Farm","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"September 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Queensland's Sunshine Coast Solar farm has picked up another award, this time at the Australian Regional Development Conference Awards 2018. The 15MW solar farm project took out the Environmental and Sustainability Award at the event, part of the 2018 Australian Regional Development Conference held at Twin Towns Services Club, Tweed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Another award for Sunshine Coast Solar Farm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sunshine-coast-solar-farm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sunshine-coast-solar-farm.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sunshine-coast-solar-farm.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/sunshine-coast-solar-farm.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25421,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/tweed-shire-solar-mb0802\/","url_meta":{"origin":21370,"position":4},"title":"Tweed Shire Council Beefing Up Solar Power Capacity","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"October 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"New South Wales' Tweed Shire Council will have more than doubled its solar energy capacity by the end of this year\u00a0 - and there's more to come. Council says a number of new solar projects will be completed by the time 2018 draws to a close. \" The biggest project\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tweed Shire Council - solar energy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29709,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/tweed-shire-solar-mb1023\/","url_meta":{"origin":21370,"position":5},"title":"Tweed Shire Adds Aquatic Centre Installation To Solar Energy Portfolio","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"April 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"New South Wales' Tweed Shire Council switched on its new 165kW solar panel installation at the Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre (TRAC) in Murwillumbah last week. Council says the system will slash the pool's mains electricity costs by around $42,500 a year and generate equivalent to around 24% of TRAC's energy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tweed Shire Council - solar power","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tweed-shire-solar.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21370"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21375,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21370\/revisions\/21375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}