{"id":46068,"date":"2020-12-28T05:27:58","date_gmt":"2020-12-27T18:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=46068"},"modified":"2025-10-22T17:45:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T08:15:06","slug":"ev-charging-melbourne-mb1815","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/ev-charging-melbourne-mb1815\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Solar Powered EV Charging At South Melbourne Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Solar<\/p>\n

Two new electric vehicle charging stations recently installed at the South Melbourne Market rooftop carpark are being partly powered by solar panels.<\/p>\n

The City of Port Phillip has invested $150,000 in the chargers, which are compatible with all electric vehicles and are free to use.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs more and more people opt for electric vehicles, it\u2019s important to provide the infrastructure to support this fantastic environmentally-friendly choice,” said<\/a> Port Phillip Mayor Louise Crawford.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No further information was provided on the chargers, but judging by the image above they may be EO units.<\/p>\n

Some of the power being delivered to the chargers is from the solar panels installed on the rooftop of the car park. Originally hosting a 32kW array, a new 200kW system comprised of 612 solar panels was added in 2019<\/a>. The two systems combined generate approximately 263,000kWh of clean electricity each year and save more than $60,000 annually in mains electricity costs according to Council.<\/p>\n

Other public use electric vehicle chargers<\/a> (paid and free) in the City of Port Phillip local government area and elsewhere in Australia can be located on our EV charger map<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Infrastructure Australia, electric vehicles are projected to account for at least 70% of new vehicle sales and at least 30% of the vehicle fleet in Australia by 2040. If you’re considering going solar<\/a> and getting an EV down the track, check out SolarQuotes’ Solar EV Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

South Melbourne Market And Sustainability<\/h2>\n

On a related note, use of solar technology at South Melbourne Market isn’t confined to the rooftop – there are also three solar-powered BigBelly bins. Introduced in 2017, the bins have a small solar panel on the top protected by a polycarbonate cover that charges a 12V battery powering a compaction unit inside the bin. <\/span>Sensors detect when rubbish reaches a certain level, triggering the compaction unit.\u00a0 The compaction enables the BigBelly to collect 5 times the volume of waste as a standard 120-litre wheelie bin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other sustainability features<\/a> at the Market include:<\/span><\/p>\n