Phillip Oval is a step closer to becoming the region's top second-tier sporting venue after signing a partnership with EPC Solar, which will slash up to 40 per cent from the ground's annual energy bill.
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The local renewable energy company has installed 66.5 kilowatts worth of sunpower panels on the venue's indoor training facility as part of the two-year sponsorship. Naming rights were also part of the deal, with the venue to be now known as EPC Solar Park.
A 50 kilowatt inverter will store solar energy, while surplus power will be exported to an external grid which will offer another revenue stream to the Phillip Oval Management Group (POMG).
It will provide a drastic saving of almost $15,000 on the pre-solar panel annual energy bill of roughly $35,000.
"That's going to make a big difference to our bottom line so we can continue to invest in Phillip Oval and the precinct," POMG chair Paul Walshe said.
"We've got some grand plans around some infrastructure here, we want this precinct to be the top second-tier ground within NSW and the ACT. We want to be able to showcase AFLW games here, we want to showcase Big Bash women's games.
"We want to ensure that going forward the ground and the precinct is something that fits into the Woden Masterplan, but something that the community's proud of as well."
Walshe has outlined a long-term plan for the venue which includes significant landscaping and family-friendly facilities on the far side of the ground, opposite the grandstand.
Increasing capacity has also been slated, which would make the Woden ground a much more attractive option for national sport.
But POMG's next priority is reducing its water bill, which accounts for almost half the ground's annual budget.
"We want to reduce some of our costs there so we can invest that money in infrastructure to make this ground even better," Walshe said,
"We've got to sit down with Icon Water and see where we can work through it. Forty-five per cent of our operating budget goes into water into this ground, it's a significant amount, some 75,000 dollars."
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EPC Solar chief and founder Daryn Stocks said partnering with POMG was a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties.
"We've got a software on there called solar analytics which we're able to determine when the power's being produced and used and through that we're able to maximise the return on investment by trying to use the power at the right times," Stocks said.
"That will actually go towards paying for the lights at night which is obviously quite a large cost for the facility.
"With everything that's been happening around the world, there's a real focus on renewable energy."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
