{"id":60809,"date":"2022-04-11T08:22:27","date_gmt":"2022-04-10T21:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=60809"},"modified":"2022-04-11T08:22:27","modified_gmt":"2022-04-10T21:52:27","slug":"lady-elliot-solar-mb2428","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/lady-elliot-solar-mb2428\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Powered Resort A Sustainability Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lady<\/p>\n

Queensland’s Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort won the Sustainable Tourism category in this year’s Banksia National Sustainability Awards for its shift to 100% renewables.<\/p>\n

Lady Elliot Island<\/a> is the Great Barrier Reef’s southernmost coral cay. Approximately 80 kilometres north-east of Bundaberg, the 45-hectare island lies within a Marine National Park \u2018Green Zone\u2019.<\/p>\n

A resort was established on the island in 1984 using prefabricated buildings. By 2005, the resort was consuming 550 litres of diesel a day to generate power using 220 kilowatt diesel generators running 24 hours a day. It wasn’t ideal given the cost, noise and pollution involved.<\/p>\n

The switchover to solar power started with a hybrid solar power station completed in 2008, which was the first of its kind at the time. The installation of 96 Kyocera solar panels, SMA inverters<\/a>, batteries and a new smaller generator reduced diesel consumption to 100 litres\/day.<\/p>\n

The system was subsequently expanded, growing to 801 ground and roof mounted solar panels (209kW) and 234 batteries. According to the resort web site, an additional 88 solar panels, battery bank and solar hot water systems were to be installed in 2020, achieving a goal of powering the resort with 100% renewable energy. It looks like more may have been installed since then as the Banksia Awards page notes “over 1000 solar panels”.<\/p>\n

Since the original installation back in 2008 and up to 2019, REC and Q Cells panels<\/a> were used – it’s not clear what modules were installed after 2019. Some of the REC solar panels<\/a> are to clock up 10 years of service this year, operating in what is a very harsh environment for solar gear. And just a tip for those going solar in coastal locations, when choosing solar panels<\/a> check they are salt mist corrosion resistant<\/a> and the level of resistance.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the Banksia Awards wind, the resort’s management said:<\/p>\n

“Our transition to renewable energy has been a rewarding journey. It couldn\u2019t have been achieved without the support from our dedicated team and partnerships.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you’re interested in diving into the nitty-gritty of Lady Elliot Island’s solar setup and transition to 100% renewable energy, this paper<\/a> goes into great detail as the situation stood in late 2019.<\/p>\n

Other Sustainability Efforts<\/h2>\n

Other strategies used at the resort to minimise the environmental impact include:<\/p>\n