
Suntech supplies Pluto solar array to the Sydney
Theatre Company
Nov. 26, 2010 - Emma Hughes - pv-tech.org
Suntech
has supplied 384kW of its Pluto solar modules for
a rooftop solar array on The Wharf, which is home
to the Sydney Theatre Company (STC). The project
was completed using a AUT$2 million donation from
'Shi's Family Foundation,' representing Dr. Zhengrong
Shi, Suntech's founder, chairman, and CEO and his
wife Vivienne Shi. Integrated by DCM Solar, the 1,906
solar panels comprise one of the largest capacity
rooftop solar arrays in Sydney and Australia.
The solar installation's completion was commemorated
at a switch-on event hosted by STC Artistic Directors
Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton. "Theatre has
always been a place to stimulate visionary conversations
and practical action. Now that this immense solar
array is operating here at Sydney Theatre Company,
we hope it will inspire others, including the hundreds
of thousands of people who pass through the Company
each year, to take their own steps in tackling the
challenges of climate change. We would like to thank
Dr. Zhengrong Shi for his extraordinary commitment
to the project which gives back so much to the country
and city where he trained," said the actors.
The installation was commissioned alongside STC's
'Greening the Wharf initiative,' which is aimed at
improving the environmental impact of the company.
The 384kW solar array, coupled with other energy
efficiency improvements, will provide approximately
70% of the theatre company's electricity consumption.
"Twenty years ago, while performing solar research
at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), few
people believed that solar technology could ever
power a building such as The Wharf," said Shi. "Suntech's
work in commercialising advanced solar technology
is making solar economically-viable for millions
of people in Australia and around the world. This
project demonstrates that anyone today can look up
and harness nature's original source of energy and
life."
The Pluto solar cell technology utilized for STC's
solar installation was developed by Suntech through
its long-term research partnership with UNSW. Suntech
invests several million dollars each year in collaborations
with leading Australian solar research institutions,
including UNSW and Swinburne University of Technology,
as well as through its Sydney subsidiary CSG Solar.
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