Making the Switch
A COMBINATION OF SOLAR, WIND AND HYDRO POWER
Since September 1st 2020, all of the mains electricity supplied to Mawsons-owned sites has been offset by an equivalent amount of electricity sourced from renewable generators. This includes the electricity used at Mawsons’ concrete batch plants, hard rock quarries, gravel and sand pits, workshops, laboratories and administration offices in Victoria and New South Wales. Electricity used at these 50-plus sites makes up the vast majority of Mawsons’ total annual electricity consumption.
Sites where mains electricity is not available are powered using a combination of solar panels, batteries and diesel gensets. Sites where Mawsons’ operate on land owned by others e.g. tolling sites, mines and remote mobile operations, continue to be powered by diesel or the general grid while better alternatives are being sourced.
Switching to renewable electricity is part of Mawsons’ overall Social Responsibility and Sustainability Policy. By making this switch Mawsons’ ongoing environmental impact will be dramatically reduced. Based on Mawsons’ 2019 electricity usage, the switch means approximately 5,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will be saved every year.
This figure grows each year as more Mawsons facilities are equipped with solar panels.
To verify that Mawsons’ are receiving 100% Renewable Electricity the Energy Generators provide Federal Government Certification for each megawatt hour of renewable electricity that Mawsons use. These certificates are known as Large Scale Generation Certificates and are traded by the retailers in the broader Electricity Certificates’ market to make sure that each unit of electricity consumed by Mawsons is matched by the same amount of renewable generation.
On days when there is insufficient wind at one wind farm or not enough direct sunshine at another solar generator Mawsons can continue their operations as normal and still use renewable electricity as the connection to the national electricity grid provides continuous supply.
The market for buying and selling mains power across Australia is complex and closely regulated. It is managed by Government Authorities to provide a reliable and consistent supply of affordable electricity from all sources including hydro, wind, solar, gas and coal, regardless of generator ownership. By using tradable Large Scale Generation Certificates as described here Mawsons are reducing CO² emissions significantly. Mawsons’ switch is also encouraging further investment in renewable power while still ensuring that their operations continue to meet the community’s demands for affordable construction materials.