GEMLIFE MAROOCHY QUAYS WAS IN THE NEWS LAST MONTH FOLLOWING THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF GEMLIFE’S MARKET-LEADING VIRTUAL POWER PLANT (VPP) SYSTEM.
In an Australian-first initiative, details of the brand-new renewable energy VPP system were unveiled on site at GemLife Maroochy Quays by GemLife Director and CEO Adrian Puljich, with special guest Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson in attendance.
GemLife collaborated with Australian energy technology companies to create the robust custom-designed system to achieve 90 percent onsite renewable energy generation and storage.
GemLife Palmwoods homeowners Eric and Margaret Martin made a special trip to attend the launch and talk to the news media about their cost savings following a successful VPP trial at the Palmwoods resort, which helped refine the final VPP model revealed at GemLife Maroochy Quays.
“We don’t get a power bill anymore because it’s zero!” said Margaret.
“Before we were paying bills on average of $200 to $300 so it’s a tremendous help to us to be getting a zero bill,” added Eric.
GemLife Maroochy Quays homeowner Les Rose, an engineer, has been keenly following the progress of the VPP initiative.
“With the new Virtual Power Plant, we are going to achieve savings, particularly in those peak periods during 4pm to 8pm at night. That’s where we are going to notice it the most,” he said.
In addition to local media coverage, the initiative garnered national media attention including in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, and even the Northern Territory. The story was also covered by Channel Seven’s popular morning show Sunrise and Channel Nine’s A Current Affair.
The VPPs will be rolled out across all GemLife resorts, with the goal of linking 10,000 homes and also benefiting the surrounding communities.
On the Sunshine Coast, all 264 homes at GemLife Maroochy Quays and 204 homes at GemLife Palmwoods are connected to their community’s VPP, while all 404 homes at GemLife Bribie Island are also soon to benefit from the new technology.