The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinarsUrbanity
Industry Excellence
Urban Leader
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Urban Leader Awards Logos RGB White
NOMINATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 12 RECOGNISING THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND THE PROJECTS
NOMINATIONS CLOSING SEPTEMBER 12 URBAN LEADER AWARDS
LEARN MOREDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
12
print
Print
OtherPartner ContentSun 14 Jun 20

Energy Partnership A Win for Ripley Town Centre

95ecf8d5-9c53-4868-b8f0-bd70d597904d

A common vision shared by Ripley Town Centre developer Sekisui House Australia and energy partner WINConnect is set to deliver winning results for consumers within the masterplanned community.

Ripley Town Centre, in south-east Queensland’s western growth corridor, will boast what is believed to be Queensland's largest high-voltage private community network.

While an embedded energy network such as this may not be a new concept, WINConnect executive chairman Tom Patsakos said Ripley Town Centre is the first-ever township to commission one.

“To my knowledge, there is yet to be an entire town on a community energy network, excluding small mining towns,”
he said.

“The reason it’s not common is because most developers don’t have the foresight that Sekisui House does to plan ahead. Most developers will engage a community energy network after they have already commenced construction and by that stage it’s too late.

“While embedded energy networks have over time been designed to serve the purposes of the developer, our approach is to spread the value generated from the network equitably among key stakeholders, including the community.”

The benefits associated with the private community energy network at Ripley Town Centre are far reaching, from lower tariff costs and tariff protection, to future-proofing for potential advances in sustainability.

Importantly, profits made through the network are invested back into the community—to maintain existing infrastructure and upgrade community spaces, for example.

Sekisui House Australia senior development manager Taku Hashimoto said Ripley Town Centre is making energy more affordable for its consumers.

“Consumers who are currently taking advantage of the network are realising savings of up to 25 per cent, which may increase in time and create further savings through reduced rates and outgoings as the development grows and more sustainable solutions are realised.”

“We have the ability to not only generate energy on site via our solar structures but purchase additional energy at the 11,000-volt bulk rate and feed that power into the network—no energy leaves the community, ” Hashimoto said.

“Ipswich City Council is working with us to grant permission to cross public roads in order to extend the network, which is the first time a local council has ever been involved.”

A private energy sub-station was commissioned at Ripley Town Centre back in 2018 as part of stage one of the masterplan, to service its more than 20 retailers.

The $1.5 billion masterplan vision caters to the projected growth of the region—approximately 133,000 new residents by 2036—and delivers on the requirements of the Ripley Valley Priority Development Area scheme.

▲ Ripley Town Centre, in south-east Queensland’s western growth corridor, will boast what is believed to be Queensland's largest high-voltage private community network.


The network also makes use of the 480-kilowatt solar panel system positioned on the roof of Ripley Town Centre and its carpark structure, which delivers clean and sustainable energy to the community.

“With less capital expenditure, a community energy network removes the barriers that have historically prevented developers from investing in renewables and allows us to share the benefits of locally produced energy,” Hashimoto said.

“This is a long-term, sustainable solution for Ripley Town Centre. While many developers incorporate solar energy, we believe this private community energy network is a first for a masterplanned community.

“We truly want to be sustainable and use our network to give back to the community while reducing our overall carbon footprint.”

Hashimoto said the ultimate aim is to achieve a net zero energy community where residents, retailers and commercial operators can sell excess energy their asset creates to other players within the community and capitalise on another income stream, with additional savings injected into existing and future landscaping infrastructure and public amenity.

As future stages of the development come to fruition in the coming years, it is anticipated additional substations will be commissioned onto the network to make way for new infrastructure, generating upwards of 8 megavolt-ampere.

WINConnect’s Patsakos describes the partnership with Sekisui House as a “meeting of the minds”.

“We are working collectively to achieve significant benefit for Ripley Town Centre consumers. This includes identifying areas to deliver efficiencies, minimising costs and speeding up our services to the township — these are our driving principles,” he said.

“Sekisui House has been talking to us for a long time about how best to plan and configure the network, and which permits to acquire, so the services are delivered seamlessly.”

Click here to find out more about the Ripley Town Centre masterplan vision.


The Urban Developer is proud to partner with Sekisui House Australia to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our free daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.

OtherRetailInfrastructureAustraliaOther
AUTHOR
Partner Content
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Woolloongabba Precinct Vulture St
Exclusive

Brisbane Developer in Cross River Rail Compensation Tussle

Clare Burnett
4 Min
The Mondrian Gold Coast hotel's food and beverage is driving profits
Exclusive

Touch, Taste, Theatre: What’s Driving Mondrian’s Success

Renee McKeown
6 Min
Fortis’ display suites are designed as brand environments first, with tactile details and curated design to build buyer confidence before project specifics.
Exclusive

Relevant or Redundant: Will Tech Kill Display Suites?

Vanessa Croll
7 Min
Exclusive

Missing Heart: Why The Gold Coast Needs a CBD

Phil Bartsch
7 Min
View All >
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
JQZ Parramatta EDM
Residential

JQZ Plots 10-Storey Addition to Parramatta ‘Auto Alley’ Plans

Clare Burnett
The Sydney developer is pushing ahead with a project it picked up following the collapse of Dyldam in 2020....
LATEST
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
3 Min
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
JQZ Parramatta EDM
Residential

JQZ Plots 10-Storey Addition to Parramatta ‘Auto Alley’ Plans

Clare Burnett
3 Min
Aerial view of Caboolture and Bruce highway to Brisbane with Bribie Island Road crossing, Queensland, Australia
Policy

Queensland’s $2bn Push Opens New Housing Front

Vanessa Croll
2 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/ripley-town-centre-private-community-energy-network