Uni Hill Factory Outlets Leads the Way with Solar Installation

University Hill Factory Outlets, located in Melbourne’s north, has become the first factory outlet in Australia to install solar panels.

Four hundred new solar panels have been installed on the roof of the MAB Corporation-owned factory outlets at University Hill in Bundoora, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 170 tonnes annually.

The 100kW system is estimated to produce 135,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) per year, saving greenhouse gas equivalent to 1,200 trees being planted[1], and will offset approximately 10% of the common area electricity usage at Uni Hill Factory Outlets.

The installation will not only displace a proportion of more expensive electricity from the grid, it will also hedge against future increases in electricity pricing and avoid a proportion of greenhouse gas emissions associated with grid electricity.

Grid electricity in Victoria is primarily generated from coal, hence the associated emissions per unit of electricity are high.

 “We see this as a win-win situation for the environment and for the business.” MAB Development Manager, Raphael Poggi said. “The property sector has an important role to play in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and the energy generated from the solar installation reduces our operating costs and energy consumption.”

This is MAB’S first investment in solar. MAB joins a strong pedigree of early adopters for solar, with the likes of Stockland’s 1.22 megawatt Shellharbour Shopping Centre PV system, GPT-managed Casuarina Square Shopping Centre in Darwin (1.25 megawatt solar pV system) and Frasers Property-developed The Ponds Shopping Centre 100kW solar PV system.

[1] Carbon Neutral, www.carbonnuetral.com.au

Watch the time lapse video of the installation on MAB’s YouTube channel..