The National Archives of Australia has saved more than 25 tonnes of greenhouse gases over the past year, following the installation of 122 solar panels on the roof of its Brisbane repository since March 2006. The organisation sees World Environment Day (5 June 2007) as an ideal opportunity to review its achievements.

‘The National Archives of Australia preserves vital government records for future generations and their safekeeping depends upon stable environmental conditions,’ said David Swift, Director of the National Archives of Australia in Queensland.

‘While the National Archives is committed to improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we had to ensure the preservation of our collection wasn’t jeopardised in any way. Because we are in a subtropical area, air conditioning and humidity control are essential 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We had to look at the options for balancing the need to maintain climate controlled storage with our bid to reduce energy use.’

The National Archives knew it could be done. Their Sydney office had already made a concerted effort to reduce energy use by flattening energy consumption and minimising spikes in usage. This produced savings of over $1 million on gas and electricity costs over a 10-year period and a 46 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The Brisbane office decided to take things further by adopting solar energy. The success of a small prototype solar system installed earlier at the National Archives office in Canberra gave them the confidence to go for a larger project in Brisbane. They therefore sought proposals to design, supply and install a solar system for the repository in the suburb of Cannon Hill. The winning tender was submitted by SunTechnics Solar Technology Pty Ltd, the Australian branch of a European solar energy company which had installed more than 2000 power systems in Europe.

The grid-connected solar system installed at Cannon Hill has 122 solar panels and a capacity of 25 kWh. Since their installation at a cost of $250,000, the panels have generated 48,000 kWh of electricity, or seven per cent of total energy usage, with associated savings of 25,500 kg of carbon dioxide. Most panels were installed in March 2006 and the project completed 12 months later.

‘We didn’t go for the solar option for financial reasons although it has certainly reduced our energy bills and we do receive renewable energy certificates,’ said Mr Swift. ‘We wanted to show that we could maintain archival conditions in an environmentally friendly manner. And we’re delighted with the results we’ve achieved.’