Telstra has switched on its largest ever AC Grid Connect solar power systems at the Deer Park, Victoria, and Lyndhurst, South Australia, exchange buildings.

The buildings’ new 30kW solar panel systems are each expected to produce around 40,000 kWh of energy from the sun annually. All of the solar energy generated will be used to power the exchange buildings from clean renewable energy, reducing Telstra’s grid consumption at each site by around 10 per cent.

Solar panels on Telstra exchange buildings are common across rural and remote parts of Australia where they are not connected to the national electricity grid. The installation of large capacity AC Grid Connect solar systems to metropolitan exchange buildings is a first for the company.

Telstra Property Executive Director John Romano said it was envisioned more solar panels would be installed in the coming months.

“This is the first time we are using solar power systems at this scale in a metropolitan area, and could very well change the way we power our network in the future. Our network facilities consume energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week and account for 89 per cent of Telstra’s carbon emissions. Last year, we reduced our overall carbon emissions intensity by 27 per cent by closely managing our energy use and adopting innovative ways to bring it down,” he said.

Telstra’s ongoing energy reduction programs continue to significantly reduce energy consumption at Telstra exchange buildings. These include exchange audits, optimisation activities, and turning-off redundant equipment.

Mr Romano said with approximately 120 large exchange buildings across the Melbourne metropolitan area alone there was a significant opportunity to continue reducing their environmental impact. “We will continue to assess and monitor how successful these panels will be in reducing costs and the impact these buildings can have on the environment,” he added.

Telstra has approximately 120 exchanges across Metropolitan Melbourne. These house the equipment necessary to provide landline phone, ADSL internet, NBN and mobile phone telecommunications (including wireless data). In FY 2014 it set a long term target to reduce its carbon emissions per terabyte of data used (emissions intensity) by 55 per cent over the three-year period from FY15 to FY17.