Award finalists showcase the solar industry's most innovative and unique installations

In a year of unprecedented growth for the Australian solar industry, the finalists in this year’s awards highlight some of the most innovative and unique installations taking place around the country. The ingenuity and inventiveness demonstrated by these installations is a credit to the industry, and serves as a fantastic example of the quality of solar design and installation in Australia.

The standard of entries received for this year’s awards was exceptional, and the Clean Energy Council would like to thank all those who took the time to submit an entry.

Award finalists have been named across three categories: under 30 kW, 30-240 kW and over 240 kW. The finalists were selected by an independent panel of solar industry experts.

The winners of the Clean Energy Council Solar Design and Installation Awards will be announced on Wednesday 11 October at the All-Energy Australia Exhibition and Conference in Melbourne.

All-Energy Australia is being held in partnership with the Clean Energy Council and runs from 11-12 October. Entry to the exhibition and the Clean Energy Council’s Solar Masterclass Series is free, as is entry to the awards presentation ceremony being held as part of the grand networking function at the conclusion of the first day of the conference.

The full list of finalists is as follows:

Under 30 kW

• Stuart Bruce, working for Solaray Energy, installed a 30 kW behind-the-meter solar array and 42.3 kWh storage solution at the Stucco Low Income Student Housing Co-op in Newtown, Sydney.
• Jason Hua and John David O’Brien, working for Suntrix, designed and installed a 15 kW solar PV system at the Booran Road public reserve in Glen Huntly, Melbourne.

30-240 kW

• Frank Cernoia and Daniel Bryant, working for Beacon Solar, installed a 100 kW solar rooftop system on Lincraft's factory in Derrimut, Melbourne in the shape of the company's logo.
• Marcus Lim, working for Lean Energy, installed a 162 kW solar system on The University of Melbourne's Parkville Campus. The system used a mix of poly and mono panels to spell the word "Melbourne" on the rooftop.
• Jamie Thorncraft and Juan Jose Ferrandis Giral, working for Todae Solar, installed a 100 kW rooftop solar system on the iconic "Toaster Building" at Sydney's Circular Quay.

Over 240 kW

• Matthew Linney and Peter Cook, working for Autonomous Energy, installed a 1.1 MW solar system as shade covering for the main carpark at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba, Queensland.
• Timothy Shield and Florian Hess, working for AGL, installed a 1.07 MW solar PV system at Zilzie Winery in Red Cliffs, Victoria using a combination of roof-mounted and ground-mounted panels.
• Jamie Thorncraft, Juan Jose Ferrandis Giral, Brenton Moratto and Edie Barkla-Mather, working for Todae Solar, installed a 421 kW ground-mounted solar system at the Australian Vintage winery in Buronga, New South Wales.