DHL Supply Chain has announced a showcase in clean energy for Australian industrial facilities. The company will install dynamic 1.7 MW urban solar power station on the rooftop of its upcoming 31,450 sqm DHL Horsley Park 8 warehouse located at the Oakdale Industrial Estate in Horsley Park.
This rooftop power station is unique because it is the first of its kind in Australia where the energy output can either be partially or fully utilized by the site, or switch to be traded on the National Electricity Network at wholesale prices. This may hold the key to un-lock Australia’s massive tens of gigawatt potential for solar power systems on industrial roofs, as it allows entire large roof-top areas to be utilized and also turned into market participating power stations.
Saul Resnick, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Australia & New Zealand, said: “At 33,350 sq meters, our upcoming Horsley Park 8 warehouse has a roof space of 31,450 sq meters which was fully utilized to install the biggest solar panel on a DHL warehouse so far. We are excited to be first site to showcase what could be a game changer for green energy in Australia, in line with our Group’s GoGreen goal to achieve net-zero logistics-related emissions by 2050.”
The proprietary ‘Bright Thinkers Power Station’ technology – has been developed by solar power specialist Epho Pty Ltd, with a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
“The DHL Horsley Park 8 warehouse was purpose built for the storage and distribution of goods for the healthcare industry. These type of goods have stringent requirements such as temperature and humidity controls, which impact energy requirements. The Epho system allows us flexibility to access more solar energy if the consumption of the site increases,” highlights Saul.
The facility is slated to commence operations at the end of this year. Work on the rooftop 1.7 MW solar power station will commence in November, on what promises to be one of the most exciting new developments in commercial solar energy supply.