Did you know that over 200 solar panels at Kingswood generate almost 7% of the electricity requirements for the Kingswood campus?

The above Solar Panel Generation Display Unit is installed in the main foyer of Building K and displays:

• current power
• energy today
• total energy
• carbon dioxide (CO₂₎ reductions.

The Solar Panel Generation Display explained

The 'Current Power' being generated at the time is measured in kilowatts (kW). When the power generated is 25kW (or 2500W), it is sufficient to power approximately 275 computers in the campus.

The 'Energy Today' is energy generated each day and is also measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). The daily average electricity generated by the solar system is equal to 140kWh. This daily solar energy produced is sufficient to meet the energy requirements of nine suburban houses for the day.

The 'Total Energy' is the total amount of electricity that has been generated since the panels started functioning on 15 April 2008. The annual estimated energy offset from the electricity grid is 50,920kWh (or 50.9MWh). This is equivalent to 6.6% of the UWS Kingswood Campus’ annual energy consumption.

The 'CO₂ Reduction' is the total amount of carbon dioxide that has been reduced since the panels started functioning on 15 April 2008. The average solar system daily output saves enough CO₂ for you to drive emission free from UWS to Brisbane in a Toyota Prius Hybrid 5 seater vehicle (1395km). Similarly the annual average CO₂ savings are enough for you to drive emission free more than twelve times around the world (509,210km).

What is a Watt or a Kilowatt?

Each of the 216 photovoltaic panels at Kingswood can generate up to 156 watts of electricity at a time. A single 165 watt panel can produce that amount of power when optimum conditions apply. The average house uses about 18 kilowatt hours of electricity per day.

Definition: kW -  Abbreviation for kilowatt hour, physical unit of electrical energy and/or amount of energy. 1 kWh = 1,000 watts of power over the period of one hour. Electrical energy is the product of power and time.

For further information please contact Tilak Nanayakkara, Senior Project Manager from UWS Capital Works and Facilities.

References and Assumptions

1. NSW Greenhouse Account factors and lighting figures as per the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency websites - Online System for Comprehensive Activity Reporting (opens in a new window) and Climate Change (opens in a new window) (18 July 2010)
2. Vehicle emission as per the Green Vehicle Guide (opens in a new window) (18 July 2010). All distances are estimates.