Victorian water treatment plant now has large-scale solar on its utility water tank

Solar panels on utility water tank, Wannon Water, Hamilton, Victoria. (photo from One Step off the Grid)

Victorian utility, Wannon Water, is laying claim to the first large-scale solar system to be put on a utility water tank in Australia, with a 100kW array newly installed on its water treatment plant at Hamilton.

Wannon Water says this initiative will help to unlock the future potential for this type of installation for the Australian water sector. It expects the 344 “high-efficiency” panels on the roof of the clear water storage tank will reduce the plant’s demand on the electricity grid by 25 per cent and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 150,000 kilograms each year.

It expects the A$120,000 system to pay for itself in seven years through reduced energy use, and will mean that on some days the entire water treatment plant can be powered by renewable energy.

Read more: Victoria utility installs first large-scale solar system on water tank. By Giles Parkinson, November 15, 2017 from One Step off the Grid.