The museum now consumes about 22% less electricity than it did 10 years ago, and 27% less water than it did three years ago.
In June 2019, we finished installing a 235-kilowatt solar panel system on the museum’s Wharf 7 building. This is our administrative wing, housing most of the museum’s staff, plus workshops, a loading dock and several object storage warehouses. The system comprises 812 lightweight (5.5-kilogram) solar panels made of a composite material used in the aviation industry, but which have the same power output as conventional glass-and-aluminium ones weighing 20 kilograms. This ground-breaking solar panel is called the ‘eArche’ and was developed by renowned Australian solar scientist Dr Zhengrong Shi of SunMan Energy Co Ltd.
The new solar panel system – the largest lightweight solar panel array in Australia – will reduce Wharf 7’s electricity bill by about $50,000 a year, which equals some 25 per cent of the building’s annual consumption.
In 2017, the Australian National Maritime Museum received a grant of $13.9 million from the Public Service Modernisation Fund (PSMF), to be spent over three years on projects to support sustainability. In addition, the museum created a new role, Facilities and Sustainability Manager. The museum recently created a sustainability strategy and formed a dedicated team to focus on it. The team’s main goal is to take a holistic approach to further reduce the museum’s environmental impact.
Two major initiatives funded by the PSMF grant are the upgrade of the museum’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system and the installation of solar panels.
The main gallery of the Australian National Maritime Museum was designed for the museum’s original purpose of housing the America’s Cup winner Australia II. Air control in such a tall, large space, in what is a relatively lightweight building with limited insulation, is a particular challenge.
Until now, the museum has used seawater for heat rejection in its HVAC system. Work is currently under way to replace the seawater heat exchanger with a cooling tower system, which is expected to begin operating in October this year. This new approach will reduce any medium- to long-term impact that the temperature of the returning condensed water may have on Darling Harbour’s marine fauna and flora. The new cooling tower system also uses far less energy than the seawater system.
Include link to ABC radio interview: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/maritime-museum-to-unveil-new-lightweight,-flexible-solar-panels/11412054