Solar Olympic village case study

The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games incorporates an athlete's village which is part of a larger new residential development called Newington, aimed at creating a practical example of more sustainable living for the 21st century. Newington has a range of environmental features including solar hot water, solar photovoltaics, energy efficient design and water recycling for irrigation and toilets. Each home will have 1 kW (peak) of roof integrated PV connected to the grid via an inverter system. This paper presents a case study of the management, design, installation and testing of the solar village PV systems and also discusses related policy issues and requirements. The Newington development demonstrates that using today's technology a high concentration of solar power may be readily integrated into a residential development with benefits to all participants. However, work is needed to allow sustainable options to be made available to the mainstream market.