Telstra has switched on the largest grid-connected solar power system the company has ever deployed, in a move that is expected to herald the adoption of more solar panels organisation-wide.
Telstra’s Deer Park and Lyndhurst exchange buildings have had 30 kW solar panel systems installed, with the panels expected to produce around 40,000 kWh of energy every year. Telstra has not disclosed the designer and installer of these projects.
Exchange buildings house the equipment necessary to provide landline phones, ADSL internet, NBN and mobile phone telecommunications – including wireless data.
Telstra Property Executive Director John Romano said he envisioned the latest installation being a watershed moment for the company, with more solar panels likely to be installed in the coming months.
“We have a long history of using solar panels, mainly at our small rural exchange buildings as the primary source of power where the electricity grid is unavailable,” Mr Romano said.
With approximately 120 large exchange Telstra buildings across the Melbourne metropolitan area alone, Mr Romano said there was a significant opportunity to continue reducing the company’s environmental impact.
“We will continue to assess and monitor how successful these panels are in reducing costs and the impact these buildings can have on the environment.
“In the coming years, we will look to further expand the rollout of solar panels to ensure that we can continue to meet the targets set out in our environmental action plan.”
