26 August 2010

Sun rises on solar for Lend Lease

Lend Lease's venture into the solar energy market could provide better solutions for architects and designers, project leader Chris Carolan argues.

Lend Lease has announced a grand venture into the renewable energy market that could transform the way the average Australian thinks about solar power by making it cheaper, safer and more accessible to put a panel on your roof.

But the bonus is that it could also provide architects and designers with better materials, potentially boosting creativity in solar design, according to Lend Lease's Chris Carolan.

The Lend Lease Solar team is working closely with architects and engineers so that it can become more familiar with the needs of designers and provide better solutions, project leader Carolan said.

"We're looking at design on about 20 projects at the moment. It's a learning process but it's one that we're doing very quickly," he said.

The new company will leverage the Lend Lease development business, offering solar photovoltaic installations across the residential, commercial and energy generation sectors.

The products will range from domestic installations to large solar power stations exceeding $500 million in value.

Lend Lease Solar will fit "hand in glove" with the development business, Carolan said.

"Solar is truly scalable. You can put it on someone's house or on a large scale project. The technology and solutions we're developing will give us the opportunity to put solar solutions both off site and on site," he said.

Whether clients choose solar power over other forms of renewable energy all comes down to economics, he told Indesignlive.com.

"Australia has a renewable energy target and those liable entities are looking for the most economic way to achieve it. For large scale, wind is the most economic way, cost per watt. But solar PVs are a much more flexible technology and there are still improvements that can be made. And for small scale solar is definitely the leading source."

Bovis Lend Lease’s Managing Director Australia, Tony Costantino, said: “There are over six million detached dwellings in Australia and less than 100,000 of those have solar.

"With energy prices predicted to increase 20 per cent year-on-year over the next three to five years, we see enormous potential in the solar PV market.”

“Solar energy is the most flexible form of renewable energy in Australia and solar is a key platform of our sustainability strategy. We believe Lend Lease is well positioned to take the lead and meet the growing demands in renewable energy from businesses and homeowners, as well as ensuring that solar is a consideration on every project,” he continued.

Lend Lease
lendlease.com.au