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2016 award winners

Congratulations to the winners in the 2016 Solar Design and Installation Awards, which were presented at the ATRAA Dinner in Melbourne on Tuesday 4 October 2016. Read on to find out more about the winners and the finalists in the following categories:

  • Stand-alone solar PV power system
  • Grid-connect solar PV power system – 15 kW to 100 kW
  • Grid-connect solar PV power system – over 100 kW
  • Grid-connect solar PV power system – battery back up

Stand-alone solar PV power system

Winner - Marcus Edwards

Working for Ed’s Marine Electrical, Marcus designed and installed a 2.5 kW solar system for a remote community in North East Arnhem Land. The installation was notable for putting responsibility, freedom and control in the hands of the tenant, as well as being a tool to teach power management in the region.

Sdi awards 2016 1

Grid-connect 15 kW - 100 kW

Winner - Graeme McMullen

Working for Energy Action, Graeme designed and installed a 99.9 kW installation at the 18-storey commercial building Collins Square at Docklands. This project provided a significant boost for solar in the commercial multi-storey building environment for government departments.

Sdi awards 2016 2

Grid-connect over 100 kW

Winner - Dimitar Iliev and Jeff Hoare

Working for GEM Energy, Dimitar and Jeff designed and installed a 517 kW system at Dobson Spring and Suspension that addressed a highly-fluctuating load. The furnace-like conditions required cooling solutions for the inverter room and panels. The system was future-proofed so that storage can be added later.

Sdi awards 2016 3

Battery back-up

Winner - Dimitar Iliev and Kurt Elvery

Working for GEM Energy, Dimitar and Kurt designed and installed a 194 kW solar system with 252 kWh of storage at the Bundaberg Christian College. The installation used a custom master controller on site to ensure smooth charging and discharging while meeting local network requirements.

Sdi awards 2016 4

2016 finalists

Stand-alone solar PV power system

  • Tomislav Dretvic, Angus Quirk and Jonathan Pye for an installation at the Nyngan Waste Depot.
  • Marcus Edwards for a 2.5 kW installation for a remote community in North East Arnhem Land.
  • David Feeney for an installation of solar flowers at Europa Studio Australia.

Grid-connect solar PV power system – 15 kW to 100 kW

  • Peter Baker for an 84.24 kW installation for a fruit store designed as a large cool room at Arnold’s Fruit Market.
  • Peter Harrison for a 33.28 kW installation at Goolabri Country Resort.
  • Graham McMullen for a 99.91 kW installation at the 18-storey commercial building Collins Square at Docklands.

Grid-connect solar PV power system – over 100 kW

  • Tamun Davidson and Karl Tunnicliffe for a 1.8 MW installation at Ayers Rock Resort “Yulara”.
  • Dimitar Iliev and Jeff Hoare for a 517 kW system at Dobson Spring and Suspension that addresses a highly-fluctuating load.
  • Jeremy Tranter and Paul Jones for a 636 kW solar carpark roof at The Pines shopping centre.

Grid-connect solar PV power system – battery back up

  • David Feeney and Stefan Koefler for a 20 kW residential system.
  • Wilson Yuan and Hamed Ghate, for a 7.5 kW combined solar and wind system.
  • Dimitar Iliev and Kurt Elvery for a 194 kW solar system with 252 kWh of storage at the Bundaberg Christian College.
  • Peter Libretto for a 37 kW residential system optimised to time of use.