Community & Business
12 March, 2024
Mareeba hits new heights with solar
MAREEBA has been dubbed the solar capital of the region, with solar installations going up by 68% in just five years.
With electricity bills increasing every year, more people in Mareeba are turning to solar, taking advantage of the town’s “300 sunny days a year”.
Data by Ergon Energy has shown that in the 4880 postcode, 2287 properties had solar photovoltaic (PV) installations connected to the electricity distribution network, with 1839 of those properties being in Mareeba.
On the Tablelands, Atherton had the highest amount of solar installed, with 1,097 properties connected in 2024.
In January 2019, there were only 693 properties in Atherton connected.
Solar enthusiast and installer Cameron De Lai has been watching the growth of solar across Mareeba and the Tablelands for several years now, a trend that he believes is positive going forward.
He explained there are three types of solar – on-grid, on-grid with storage and off-grid – that people can install depending on where they are living, the money they want to spend, and whether they have the right storage.
“On-grid is a definite no-brainer if sized correctly. Most people should get a return on investment (ROI) within four years and continue to save in the future,” he said.
“Even those on the remaining 44c tariff are sometimes better off upgrading, especially smaller and end-of-life systems.
“On-grid with storage is not for everyone. ROI can be just outside the warranty period. However, how nice is it to have power during outages, especially extended periods? Beware, a too smaller battery can be a waste of time.
“Off-grid is very specific and needs to be designed correctly - after all you are your own Ergon power station. Do you want a solid reliable system or happy for it to crash when you need it most!
“These systems can be expensive, but they are also the livelihood of a lot of remote people. Off-grid is generally not for those who want to ‘stick it to the big fella’ unless they want to burn some cash.”
In his own home, Mr De Lai has solar panels and batteries installed and has already watched his power bills decrease significantly.
“Straight away, they halved. Even with just the first system we put in, we saw a difference with our bills,” he said.
“We started to grow around it. We put in our pool about two tears ago because we knew we were going to get a bigger system and without the batteries we would have paid it off in three years.
“To anyone who is grid-connected, 100% put it (solar panels) on your roof.”
Mr De Lai said while the number of people installing solar is increasing, many still see it as a “scam,” with door-knockers and unreputable companies from the Southeast Corner and New South Wales selling the wrong solar installations for the area.
He stresses doing your own research before installing solar and approaching local solar experts.
“There are two spectrums out there, and that is the bottom feeders and then the ones who actually enjoy what they do and use quality gear,” he said.
“The thing to know is to use your local guys. You always know they will have your back, and they can’t afford to lose their reputation like some guy in Sydney who comes to town to knock on doors and goes back.”
Mareeba Shire Council and Tablelands Regional Council have also powered ahead, with Mareeba installing several systems on their infrastructure.
This includes Kuranda Aquatic Centre, Kuranda Water Treatment Plant, Dimbulah Aquatic Centre, Mareeba Aquatic Centre, Mareeba Centenary Park, Cedric Davies Community Hub, Granite Creek Pump Station, Mareeba Water Treatment Plant, Mareeba Wastewater Treatment Plant, Mareeba Depot and Rankin Street Admin Building.
All these these asserts generate a combined 736kW of power annually, and a council spokesperson said they are still looking at ways to generate more.
“The solar panels installed on council buildings and sheds contribute to the grid and the electricity used at council facilities,” a spokesperson said.
“Council is always interested in future opportunities for solar installation and will continue to look at alternative energy initiatives.”
TRC environment and natural resources manager Tudor Tanase said the future of solar looked bright.
While there are no large systems installed on their infrastructure, they are looking at installing systems on their new assets as a part of their Climate Risk Management Strategy.
“It’s looking bright and sunny! Last year, we commissioned energy management services with an aspiration to reduce energy consumption, costs and greenhouse gas emissions through energy conservation measures and solar,” he said.
“The first stage of this project was delivered late last year and has already resulted in significant cost reductions via a tariff review. It also identified and prioritised the most effective sites for solar.
“Between tariff changes, energy conservation measures, demand management and solar generation we are planning to reduce our operating costs by up to $330,000/year.
“We have applied for funding under the Reef Guardian Councils Program — Activating Local Councils’ Reef Action Plans to instal solar panels (combined capacity of 75kW) on five of our assets.”
