2016 Solar Design and Installation Awards

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.