Adelaide’s open-range Monarto Zoo has launched a solar power tracking system to make the wildlife park carbon neutral.
Officials on Thursday unveiled three sets of solar panels, which automatically track the sun throughout the day to maximise solar power generation.
The panels would provide power to Monarto’s heating, cooling, communications, perimeter fencing and water pumping systems, producing up to 300 kilowatts of power each day.
Zoos SA chief executive Chris West said the solar project fitted perfectly with the zoo’s conservation vision, which aimed to integrate science, education, sustainable practises and conservation programmes to achieve on-the-ground conservation.
“As one of the world’s leading protectors of endangered species, Monarto is a biopark in the true sense of the word, and a dynamic, living showcase for all we are aiming to achieve,” Professor West said.
“Our conservation-based initiatives naturally include sustainable operations and management systems, and since Monarto’s inception we have embraced leading technologies to minimise its running costs and its environmental impact.”
