08 June, 2016
Sustainable City Incentive Scheme- a kick start for Carbon Neutral Adelaide
Since the expansion of City of Adelaide’s Sustainable City Incentive Scheme in July 2015, a whole megawatt of solar PV has been installed in the city, over 800 halogen downlights have been replaced with LEDs, and 90 kilowatt hours of energy storage has been installed.
The Scheme provides incentives for residents and businesses to install energy generation, storage, electric vehicle charging stations and energy efficiency devices. The Scheme is jointly funded by Council and the State Government.
Lord Mayor Martin Haese said one of the aims of the Incentive Scheme was to give a big boost to the amount of solar PV in the city.
“We have achieved a 26 per cent increase in energy generation capacity 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,” said Martin.
“We estimate that this has saved nearly 1000 tonnes of carbon emissions, which is a great way to kick start Adelaide’s race to be the world’s first carbon neutral city.
“The scheme has been a huge success in triggering investment in the city – for every dollar contributed by Council and the State Government there has been 10-fold private investment. The Scheme 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. 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.
“Accessing the Scheme just makes good financial sense. Who wouldn’t want to be able to save money on their energy bills in the long term, where a small investment up front can make a huge difference down the track?” he said.
Minister for Climate Change, Ian Hunter said he was delighted that the city’s community and businesses are investing in energy efficiencies and renewable sources.
“The program has clearly tapped into the community as a resource, harnessing both their desire and their commitment to act, which we will keep encouraging through incentives and other methods.
“The diversity of the applicants from residents, right through to the Adelaide Zoo shows there really is a commitment within business and the community to help us achieve the goal of Carbon Neutral Adelaide,” said Minister Hunter.
Applicants are investing in solar panels, battery storage, electric vehicle charging points and LED replacement light projects. The biggest applicant so far has been the Adelaide Zoo, installing a 150 kilowatt Solar PV system.
Zoos SA Chief Executive Elaine Bensted said she was pleased to partner with the City of Adelaide, the South Australian Government and AGL to install Solar PV through the Sustainable City Incentive Scheme.
“As a conservation charity, Adelaide Zoo is in a unique position to showcase environmental sustainability and inspire our visitors to follow our example,” Elaine said.
“Reducing our carbon footprint and saving money on energy bills allows our organisation to invest additional resources in our conservation work to save species from extinction.
“We are also installing Solar PV at Monarto, which demonstrates our organisation’s evolving commitment to environmental sustainability across our internationally renowned sites.”
The City of Adelaide and the State Government are working in partnership on the Carbon Neutral Adelaide Action Plan to see the Adelaide become the world’s first carbon neutral city. The plan is expected by the middle of 2016.
For more information about the incentive package click here
To view our case studies visit http://www.climatechange.sa.gov.au/case-studies and click on the “leadership” or “community capacity” link.