Our First Solar Powered Site

The site has become the first in Bradken's global network to install solar panels for electricity generation and has replaced welding equipment with more energy efficient units.

With 250 solar panels now capturing the sun’s rays from the roof of the workshop, the 100kW inverter solar system is expected to deliver an annual reduction of about 68 tonnes of CO2emissions – a 19% reduction based on FY21 full year emissions figures.

Darryl Pyne, Mining Services Manager for New South Wales and Queensland, said the team were excited to be taking action for a more sustainable future at their site and for Bradken.

“We’re keen to go green and, while we’re excited to be the first of our sites to go solar, we’ve got our sights set on an even bigger goal… becoming the first Bradken site to become 100% carbon neutral,” Mr Pyne said.

“Now that our solar system is up and running we’re looking at potential options for battery storage in the hope we can completely power the office - computers, printers, lights, kitchen appliances… the whole lot powered by the sun.

“We’re also assessing the viability of purchasing the remainder of the electricity we need to run the site as green electricity from the grid.”

In addition to the solar panels, the site has recently replaced six transformer welding machines with new energy efficient inverter welders, further reducing energy use and carbon emissions.

“Our new Miller 650 inverter welders arrived last week and once in use they should help us avoid another 90 tonne roughly of CO2 emissions,” Mr Pyne said.

The Queensland Mining Services team, based in Ipswich, will also receive inverter welders through a similar site improvement initiative.

Pam Johnson, Global Sustainability Manager, said the actions taken at Mount Thorley would have far-reaching benefits for Bradken beyond just this one site itself.

“In 2020 the Mount Thorley site participated in an energy audit which outlined a number of opportunities where efficiencies could be gained. Solar power generation and more efficient welding equipment were the two big ticket items on the list,” Ms Johnson said.

“To their credit, the team took these audit results on board and acted on them, the solar power equipment project being particularly impactful as this will not only benefit the Mount Thorley site, but also provide us with valuable insights and data on how to best deploy solar power as a renewable energy technology at our other locations around the world.”