Plans for what could be the world’s first “Tesla town” – a mini-suburb on the outskirts of the Melbourne CBD whose new-build homes will include rooftop solar and Tesla battery storage – are being unveiled by local property group Glenvill, as the green development’s first 60 homes went on sale last week.
The new 16.46 hectare suburb, which will be called YarraBend for its 300 metres of Yarra River frontage, will include around 2,500 new dwellings – a mix of free standing houses, townhouses and apartments with three to five bedrooms, ranging in price from $1.48 million to $2.1 million.
The project is being designed, developed and built by Glenvill, which bills it as a “world first Tesla suburb” for its inclusion “within houses” of the iconic US company’s sleek-looking 7kWh lithium-ion Powerwall batteries, presumably to store energy from the houses’ rooftop solar systems, the sizes of which are not yet disclosed.
According to reports, however, the combination of the solar and storage technologies, with green building design and energy efficient light fittings and appliances, has the potential to reduce energy use by 34 per cent.
They will also see YarraBend achieve a 6-star ecologically sustainable development (ESD) rating – a first for an infill development site in Melbourne.
“The Powerwalls, combined with solar panels (also standard), will mean that future residents will be able to benefit in a variety of ways, including dramatically smaller power bills and knowing that the majority of their energy usage is coming from a clean and renewable source,” said Danni Addison, the Victorian chief executive of the Urban Development Institute of Australia in comments to the Heidelberg Leader.
Houses in the development will also feature electric car recharging points, while residents will have access to high-speed internet, a “tech-concierge”, and a YarraBend app, that will connect them to a variety of amenities and community information.
Official contract signing for the houses is expected to begin in August, with residents expected to begin moving in by late 2017.
© 2016 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
