|
Solar panel solution for exquisite parish church 21/10/2009 Environmental and heritage values have combined at the exquisite All Saints Church in South Hobart with the installation of solar panels on the church hall roof. A combination of good advice, a can do attitude and funding assistance all helped produce this outcome. David Irvine from the Parochial Church Council of All Saints Church said that the opportunity to install solar panels first presented itself through the Australian Government Pholtovoltaic Rebates Program which is now the Solar Homes and Communities Plan. "This project started when we looked at the Federal Grant for renewable energy and decided we wanted to show a lead by utilising what God has given us for free," Mr Irvine said. The project was more complex than it first appeared, but with the right advice from Heritage Tasmania and other experts, and tenacity from the parishioners at All Saints, all challenges were met. One thing led to another and it became apparent that a range of works should be done in one go to improve the amenity and visual impact of the church and associated buildings. "We had unsightly power lines through the church grounds which are now underground and we discovered we could connect to one meter rather than three and save some money. The wiring needed to be redone so it all worked out. "When we looked at the roof of the church hall we decided it was better and cheaper to replace the roof, insulate it as well as install solar panels at the same time," Mr Irvine said. The solar panels now help power the electrical needs of the church and the hall. The results have been a great success with the panels saving the church funds approximately $450 in the first nine months as well as saving the environment 921kg in carbon dioxide emissions. Heritage Tasmania advisor Danielle Pacaud said that All Saints Church is undoubtedly one of the most intact and exquisite parish churches in Tasmania. "The challenge for putting solar panels at All Saints Church was how to take an intricate historic piece of architecture and introduce the latest technology without detracting from the church's heritage values," Ms Pacaud said. The solution involved positioning the panels on the rear facing sections of the church hall roof, rather than the Henry Hunter designed church, so they did not detract from the character of the church building. "All Saints have successfully achieved a result that addresses climate change in a manner which is sensitive to the heritage values of the historic church buildings," Ms Pacaud said. The Tasmanian Heritage Council is currently developing guidelines for the management of solar panels on heritage buildings which will be launched in November this year. |
|
For previous news stories, check out the Latest News Archives.
Personal Information Protection | Tasmania Online | Service Tasmania
This page has been produced by Heritage Tasmania, a unit of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment.
You are directed to a disclaimer and copyright notice governing the information provided.
