POWER bills at the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery and Library are expected to fall by around $21,000 a year following the installation of solar panels.
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Bathurst Regional Council has installed renewable energy infrastructure at a number of its facility in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Since 2009 council has installed solar generation systems across 12 sites including a 50kW system at the Water Filtration Plant in 2014 and a 100kW ground-mounted system at the Waste Water Treatment Plant in June last year.
Bathurst mayor Graeme Hanger said it was important for council to utilise renewable energy to reduce council’s carbon footprint and cut electricity costs.
“The installation at the gallery and library will save an estimated 123MWh of electricity per year and avoid 107 tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere each year, saving approximately $21,000 annually,” Cr Hanger said.
Following a recent upgrade to the heating and cooling system, an 80kW solar system was installed at the art gallery in late May to offset much of the daytime electricity use.
This will produce enough electricity to cover up to 20-25 per cent of the premises’ annual electricity needs.
