One of Australia Post's largest and newest solar array systems - supporting the Kemps Creek Parcel Facility - has generated enough electricity in its first year of operation to power 292 four-person homes.1
As Kemps Creek marks its one-year anniversary, the 1,500-kilowatt solar system, delivered in partnership with industrial property group Goodman, has generated enough electricity to cover 30% of all electricity used at the facility.
More than 3,400 panels positioned on the facility's roof support Australia Post's Kemps Creek operations including new, state-of-the-art sortation equipment and charging stations for electric vehicles.
Constructed to meet the needs of Western Sydney's growing population, the massive 33,680sqm Kemps Creek facility is the size of 4.5 soccer fields and can process up to 200,000 parcels per day with a maximum hourly throughput of 20,000.
Across the facility's delivery catchment - an area comprising 46 Western Sydney postcodes - the total number of online purchases grew by 81% from 2019 to 2023. The number of households shopping online grew by 21% over the same period, a figure reflecting both population growth and eCommerce trends accelerated by the pandemic.
Kemps Creek's huge solar array is on track to deliver a long-term carbon emissions saving of 1,680 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year by avoiding the use of grid-sourced electricity.
Like many homes, the solar system at Kemps Creek exports some electricity to the grid at times of peak generation, while drawing from the grid at times where solar is not produced.
Five per cent of all car spaces at the facility now have provision for EV charging, while motion-sensor LED lighting is also installed to boost energy efficiency.
Rod Barnes, Australia Post Executive General Manager Network Operations said the facility's cutting-edge technology was benefitting not only the environment but customers in one of Sydney's major growth corridors.
"Western Sydney with its booming population was a very strategic point for us to increase our presence and this is paying off in efficiency gains and less on-road time by positioning parcel delivery drivers closer to the homes and businesses they deliver to each day.
"More broadly, over the past three years in New South Wales the number of parcels we process each day has risen by 305,000 - the result of new facility builds or upgrades at 17 sites. One year on from launch our team is taking pride in seeing such a significant proportion of electricity usage covered by solar," Mr Barnes said.
Over the 2023 financial year, Australia Post increased its production of renewable electricity by more than 27 per cent as the result of new solar panel installation at facilities. Ongoing, this investment will save an estimated $1 million in operational expenses each year.
Australia Post operates the country's largest fleet of electric delivery vehicles - 37 per cent of our total fleet and nearly half of all delivery rounds - and continues to procure more.
ENDS
1 Based on average 17 kWh/day usage in 2024. See CSIRO Energise Report - household types and energy use: www.csiro.au/en/Showcase/CSIRO-Energise
Media contact:
Sonia Maclean, Media Manager, Australia Post
M: 0416 871 977
About Australia Post:
As Australia's postal service for more than 215 years, we're at the heart of every community. Last financial year we delivered more than 2.5 billion items to 12.7 million delivery points. Australia Post has one of the largest retail networks nationally, with more than 4,000 Post Offices. Australia Post employs people of all ages, genders, and abilities in our extended workforce of more than 63,000 team members, reflective of the diverse communities we operate in. We are proud to be included in the inaugural Indigenous Employment Index with 3 per cent of our workforce identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and we are one of the largest Australian employers to be certified as a Disability Confident Recruiter.
