A Flight Path to a Sustainable Future.

Ecovantage would like to celebrate the significant investment APAM has made into improving the sustainability of Melbourne Airport with the completion of its newest solar farm. Despite the devastating impacts of Covid-19 on the aviation industry, APAM has been determined in the devotion of considerable resources toward a noteworthy reduction in its carbon footprint. Other large energy users in Australia should certainly look towards APAM and its achievements in reducing carbon emissions to date as inspiration for similar investment, as APAM sets a clear benchmark in the commitment it has made in the pursuit of a more sustainable future. 

Our friends at BEON Energy Solutions and Next Generation Electrical carefully managed the installation of a 12.4-megawatt solar farm, consisting of almost 35,000 solar panels, spanning across Oaklands Junction and a 1.8-megawatt rooftop solar installation at Agility Warehouse. Laid flat, this solar farm would span nearly an entire block of the Melbourne CBD. As a power station registered with the Clean Energy Regulator, the solar farm will produce around 50-megawatts of solar each day to power the activities that keep Melbourne Airport and many onsite tenants in operation. To help comprehend the scale of this solar farm, it would be enough to power around two-thousand homes each day and is expected to result in the abatement of over 16,000 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere each year. This investment reduces Melbourne Airport’s reliance on grid energy and, by doing so, exposure to volatility in electricity price. 

Ecovantage are thrilled to have been selected by APAM to monitor the solar energy generated by the solar farm and to create and manage APAM’s portfolio of LGCs (Large-Scale Generation Certificates) that will be produced by this project, ultimately helping to offset unavoidable carbon-producing activities in the coming years. Aaron Jenkins, Head of Renewables at Ecovantage, states that Ecovantage has invested in smart software that assists in tracking and creating LGCs, ensuring robust compliance processes and keeping our customers informed of any issues that arise with generation.

Whilst investment in commercial solar lagged behind household PV solar for a long time, Ecovantage are pleased to see the commitment and investment into a more sustainable future by companies such as APAM and the many other businesses we are proud to call our customers. With interest in solar batteries, electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging now gaining momentum, we are excited to work with more forward-thinking businesses to continue to reduce carbon entering the atmosphere. Along with our customers, we have been responsible for the abatement of over 5-million tonnes of carbon to date and we have set our sights on increasing that to 10-million tonnes of carbon abatement by 2025.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can help your business or household reduce your carbon footprint through implementing energy-efficient technologies, reach out to one of our Energy Solutions Specialists.