Adelaide City Council says the response to its expanded low-carbon technology incentive scheme has got off to a strong start, with 1MW of solar PV installed since July 2015.
The Sustainable City Incentive Scheme has also led to the replacement of more than 800 halogen downlights with LEDs, and the installation of 90 kilowatt hours of energy storage, the council said.
The Scheme, jointly funded by Adelaide City Council and the South Australian government, provides incentives for residents and businesses to install energy generation, storage, electric vehicle charging stations and energy efficiency devices.
Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese said the amount of solar PV generation capacity had jumped by 26 per cent in less than a year.
“This is an incredible result and shows businesses and residents are up for the challenge of becoming Carbon Neutral by 2025,” Haese said in a statement.
“We estimate that this has saved nearly 1,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, which is a great way to kick start Adelaide’s race to be the world’s first carbon neutral city.
Haese said that the scheme had attracted $10 of investment for every dollar contributed by council and the state government, and is making what many believe to be over the horizon, a reality today.
“The national landscape of energy storage and solar is changing rapidly and schemes such as Sustainable Incentives are helping make this happen,” Haese said.
“Manufacturers, suppliers and installers are continually increasing their projections around solar PV and energy storage uptake, and Adelaide is positioning itself to be a global leader in clean energy to make the most of the economic opportunities presented by carbon neutrality.”
Top image by Doug Barber, via Wikipedia.
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