Page 31 - Climate Control News Magazine June 2019
P. 31

Renewable Energy
Cutting edge technology powers off-grid housing estate
A WORLD FIRST housing estate called East Village at Knutsford in Fre- mantle, will source all of its power from solar panels and a 670kw/h resi- dential battery – the largest of its kind in Western Australia.
The battery has already been built and will also help power the con- struction of the site itself. Once the estate is complete it will use green around the clock.
energy
“Power Ledger’s platform allows residents to sell excess solar power from the panels on their roofs directly to their neighbours at a better price, rather than selling back to the tradi- tional grid,” she said.
Block-chain is a digital ledger that can track water and energy usage and facilitates transactions for peer trad-
ing, bypassing electricity providers.
The WA East Village estate will be tracked and
assessed by an onsite living laboratory in part- nership with Curtin University. Researchers will monitor the estate’s renewable energy and sus- tainability measures with a view towards One Planet Living accreditation.
ABOVE: Power Ledger co-founder and chair Jemma Green.
TOP: On site at the battery launch event in May.
RIGHT: The communal electric car charging station
“POWER LEDGER’S PLATFORM ALLOWS RESIDENTS TO SELL THEIR EXCESS SOLAR POWER DIRECTLY TO THEIR NEIGHBOURS AT A BETTER PRICE, RATHER THAN SELLING BACK TO THE TRADITIONAL GRID.” – POWER LEDGER CHAIR JEMMA GREEN.
Water-saving measures include storm water harvesting, a strata-owned bore and the use of rainwater for residential toilets. Tanks will sup- ply hot water systems and laundries, reducing mains water consumption by 80 per cent.
State-owned developer LandCorp said its 1.5ha East Village site is leading the way in sus- tainable WA housing. Located on a former indus- trial estate near the Royal Fremantle Golf Club, the development of 36 townhouses is just 2.5km east of Fremantle.
As well as gardens and community green spac- es, the development features a prototype house by Perth company Mirreco demonstrating the capabilities of alternative materials such as com- pressed hemp and polymers in building panels. ✺
The combination of rooftop solar and micro- grid technology is expected to save residents thousands of dollars a year in energy bills.
The microgrid supply network will also man- age water as well as power.
Moreover, the development features block- chain-ready solar townhouses with built-in elec- tric vehicle chargers.
The project is a partnership between Land- Corp, Power Ledger and the Australian Govern- ment’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program.
“Solar panels only generate when the sun’s shining but using the battery and our platform they will be able to access 24 hour renewable power,” according to Power Ledger co-founder and chair Jemma Green.
Power Ledger provided the 670kWh commu- nal solar battery which will store left over energy and allow home owners to buy and sell power with one another via new technology known as block-chain.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS
JUNE 2019
31


































































































   29   30   31   32   33