QIC Plots Shoptop Solar Farm for Canberra Centre

QIC is investing in energy independence with a new rooftop solar farm proposed for its biggest shopping asset in the ACT. 

The Queensland government-owned investment company has submitted plans for a 2.4mW renewable energy system for the flagship Canberra Centre, the territory’s second biggest centre after Westfield Belconnen.

Mather Architecture has designed the project, which would deliver a solar photovoltaic (PV) roof system above the existing rooftop carpark.

QIC Real Estate general manager, sustainability Melissa Schulz said that the Canberra centre project was part of a broader program.

“The large-scale solar PV system proposed for Canberra Centre maximises the available site area, and at 2.4MW, this system will greatly reduce Canberra Centre’s demand on the local energy network, supporting us to achieve our net zero carbon ambitions,” she said.

To date, QIC's projects have included the installation of more than 23MW of onsite rooftop solar, strengthening the environmental performance of our core assets, Schulz told The Urban Developer.

The existing carpark entry off Petrie Street will not be affected by the plans which, the proposal said, would afford shade protection for the majority of the cars parked on the roof level. 

The new roof structure will not be higher than other built elements, limiting visual impacts, according to the submission.

QIC’s application said that the new rooftop solar structure would improve the visual amenity by providing a new articulated roof form while housing a visible solar energy system “demonstrating the centre’s commitment to lowering the building’s environmental footprint”.

There would be a loss of 38 carparks, reducing parking to 762 spaces across the centre, the application said.

The Canberra Centre, dubbed the retail heart of the nation’s capital, was opened in 1963 as the Monaro Mall, part of Walter Burley Griffin’s original plan for the city.

It has undergone major renovations over the years and now covers around 94,260sq m with more than 403 retailers.

QIC took a 50 per cent stake in the centre in the early 1990s. 

The latest planned investment in solar follows an ongoing trend led by governments, with players including the Clean Energy Finance Corporation financing adaptive reuse, solar and gas replacement projects in developments.