A medical clinic in Emerald is hoping to slash its energy costs by up to a third through a solar-powered trial.
The Emerald GP SuperClinic has been chosen as the third business in Queensland to take part in Ergon Energy Retail’s Business Solar Saver program.
Minister for Energy Mark Bailey visited the SuperClinic while in Central Queensland this week and said Business Solar Saver includes installation of a solar PV system designed specifically for medium businesses that Ergon Energy Retail monitors, services and maintains for a monthly fee.
It also links to Ergon Energy Retail’s EnergyCheck tool to help Emerald GP SuperClinic understand their energy use.
“The Business Solar Saver installation includes 150 panels capable of generating 42kW and two by 20Kw inverters,” Mr Bailey said.
“Ergon Energy Retail is trialling this product as a flexible solution to help businesses that have high energy use reduce their energy costs.
“A business customer using about 100MW per annum will be able to reduce their average annual energy bill by up to one-third.”
Central Highlands Healthcare chair Paul Bell said Business Solar Saver was not only a great service, but it also made great sense for his business.
“It makes economic sense because there’s no capital outlay and we estimate our energy bills will be reduced by a massive 40 per cent,” Mr Bell said.
“With these savings the Board will have the opportunity to invest in new health services at the clinic or reinvest back into our community.
“It makes environmental sense because we have plenty of sunshine in Emerald to draw solar power from and it’s a great opportunity to use renewable energy in our commercial application.”
Townsville Marine and Murgon Hospital are also part of the Business Solar Saver trial.
Townsville Marine, the first to take part, has already seen savings of $7500 since joining the trial in October 2015.
