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Perth Solar City and the Midland Redevelopment Authority are pleased to commemorate the first iconic solar project to begin as part of the Australian Government’s $94 million Solar Cities program.

SunPower, a Consortium member of the Perth Solar City program, is managing the project to be installed on the roof of the former Midland Railway Workshops Foundry building – now home to Perth’s only creative industries hub, the Midland Atelier.

60.3kW of SunPower solar panels will be installed on the rooves of the old Foundry and Pattern Shop buildings. The electricity generated will be distributed to the buildings in the Workshop’s creative industries precinct to run lighting and equipment needed by the resident artisans.

The installation will involve 201 SunPower 300W modules which, at over 18% efficiency are one of the world’s most efficient solar panels.

This important State Heritage site offers an exciting juxtaposition of old industry and renewable solar technology and will be the largest Perth Solar City iconic installation when commissioned.

Midland Redevelopment Authority CEO Kieran Kinsella said that the project was just another way in which the former railway workshops were being put to innovative re-use.

Installation by Midland Atelier designer Tim Whiteman for the Perth Solar City launch.

“In its heyday the former railway workshops had their own power house that generated all the power used in the manufacturing and repair of locomotives, and much of the power supplied to the eastern region of Perth. It’s therefore fitting that the re-use of the railway workshops again involves the generation of energy for use on-site and to put back into the grid. Importantly the energy coming from the roof of the Midland Atelier will be clean and green, demonstrating that The Workshops are very much a part of the environmentally conscious 21st century.

The Midland Atelier has been established to harness innovation and give traditional crafts a modern focus. It is therefore fitting that our power generation project is housed within the Midland Atelier, as it too is innovative and gives an old industry (power generation) a modern, environmentally responsible focus.”

Western Power’s Andrew Blaver, Perth Solar City Program Manager said “This is a significant milestone and marks the start of what will be a major injection of solar energy into the Perth metropolitan area.

“This is the first of five iconic solar projects which form part of the larger Perth Solar City program  Once commissioned these systems will generate 860,000 kWh of clean energy per year - enough energy to power 140 homes for 30 years or the equivalent of planting 5,500 trees,” Mr Blaver said.

Perth’s Eastern region is home to the Perth Solar City program.  Anyone who lives or owns property within Perth’s Eastern region has the opportunity to join the Perth Solar City program, which is designed to help households better manage their energy use, make cleaner, greener choices and save money.

There will be four other solar energy installations at iconic locations around Perth, to showcase the economic and environmental benefits of wiser energy choices. 

These solar installations will be showcased at Perth Zoo, Perth Arena, Midland Atelier, Central Institute of Technology and Kings Park. 

More information can be found at perthsolarcity.com.au.

Media Contact

Marisa Chapman, Western Power 1300 139 240
Fiona Weigall, Midland Redevelopment Authority 9374 5500

Image courtesy of the Community News Group

Says Midland Atelier's Managing Partner, FORM, "The installation at Midland Atelier presents an exciting opportunity to harness the latest developments in energy and sustainability. It represents our shared vision of innovation and standards for the future of the site. Using the historic Railway Workshop site embodies the ultimate transition from an energy consumer to an energy producer the workshops will once again be using tomorrow’s technology. The future of innovation needs to be based on sustainability and green energy."