The Solar Powered Subdivision
One of the standard requirements for a subdivision in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Council shire is that all new blocks are to be connected to the grid, via either expensive underground cabling, or overhead wires, with a 40m tree clearance zone.
The owner of this rural property outside Queanbeyan, NSW has spent the last three decades carefully rehabilitating the fragile ecosystem from it’s original damaged state, having previously been cleared and grazed as part of a larger sheep station, so clearing a 40m strip was not an option.
With the help of PHL Surveyors, Bungendore, we successfully argued the case to be allowed to meet the power connection requirement by installing an off-the-grid power system. The resulting structure provides several essentials to the new rural block:
Power
Rainwater
A driveway, carport and turning area for trucks
A workshop for use during house construction, and beyond
We also installed a long drop dunny!
The roof faces due north and is set at a 30 degree pitched to maximise exposure in winter, and has space for a >7.5kw PV array.
The container is to have large sliding doors installed on the side adjacent the roof cover, which will provide for an indoor/outdoor workshop.
Being a simple structure, we built it ourselves, along with the landowner - a very enjoyable project.
