Residential Solar Power Systems Power the Eco Village of Witchcliffe

Residential solar power systems do not need to be off-grid systems supplying power to an individual home. They are most effective when grouped together to service an entire development or subdivision of land. A good example of this can be seen in a new eco-village development in Witchcliffe, near Margaret River, Western Australia.

Sustainable green building design

If most Australians were aware of what will happen to planet Earth this century, they would queue up to buy a house and a parcel of land in an environmentally sustainable village.

Shaping such development is not an easy task. A developer must be fully aware of how to design a sustainable residential subdivision and establish guidelines that work. Correct green building design it must be built into each unit. It is imperative that strong guidelines are attached to real estate developments to deliver results that are beneficial to residents, the community, and the environment, by reducing energy and water and conserving the natural world.

For a small developer, joining forces with a major ethical real estate development company is a smart move for everyone involved. In this case, it gave the smallest developer on the project the financial leverage it needed to be successful. While many dream, very few act and fulfill successfully.

Affordable housing

A developer must begin by considering the needs and best interests of the community. In Margaret River, not everyone is a retired real estate agent or physician, or has a large bank account. They may not be rich in financial resources, but they are good, down-to-earth people who are very appreciative of nature and want to help coexist with it.

Unfortunately, the huge explosion in demand for large and expensive houses by those who benefit primarily from the Western Australian mining boom has driven up consumption, energy use and house sizes.

With construction costs skyrocketing in recent years, many people have had the dream of having their own home nearly destroyed. This particular developer in Margaret River decided early on, when purchasing the land, not only to do something for the environment, but also to tackle the affordability issue. By producing properly designed small blocks as part of a larger community, it has combined economies of scale and collective action to lower the costs of a home and land within the reach of the average person in the region. At the same time, it is attractive for similar people in the city to opt for an alternative lifestyle.

Their timing is impeccable. Energy use is projected to increase by 50% worldwide, exacerbating the greenhouse effect. It will also produce huge increases in energy prices in the next two decades, as all known sources of energy are depleted. The cost-effective residential solar power systems used provide power for groups of homes, not just individual units.

Alternative lifestyle

What we now call an “alternative” lifestyle may not be described in this way for much longer. If the world continues as it is, we will need more of this lifestyle. The increased use of energy and the depletion of the world’s energy resources will ensure that no one but the wealthy and those without public awareness can afford conventional lifestyles.

Healthy food and fresh, clean water are the key to healthy living, and through cutting-edge water technology and productive landscaping, a well-designed development like this will deliver these precious commodities to all residents. Food and water bills will be kept to a minimum. This will be a great environment to raise children and create a socially and scientifically sustainable generation of people.

Green by design

The developers also had the good sense to hire a sustainable landscape expert and environmental designer and gardener, to ensure that the gardens and landscaping are designed in detail to complement their vision of the property.

The vision of this eco-friendly village is to create a world-leading sustainable community at Witchcliffe. The village will include 180 strata titled housing sites with a wide range of on-site infrastructure and services to create a world leading example of sustainable development that achieves:

• 100% net power generation on site with photovoltaic solar energy and wind turbines,
• 100% self-sufficiency in water through on-site rainwater harvesting,
• 100% production of fresh seasonal products on site,
• Class A recycled water for the garden and domestic toilets,
• all houses to face expansive open spaces and community gardens,
• high efficiency solar passive homes,
• affordable home and land packages,
• wind turbines on site to provide free charging for up to 100 electric vehicles,
• a local power grid employing smart grid technology

Micro solar economy

As a solar energy specialist deeply concerned with the issues of climate change and the contribution our built environment makes to pollution, I am pleased with this initiative and wish the developer much success for the project.

Solar energy in the form of passive solar energy, green building design of individual houses, photovoltaic panels and solar water heating will all form an axis to make this development a truly ‘micro solar’ economy. When combined with organic approaches to harvesting water, recycling gray water and waste, and generating biofuels (courtesy of the greatest energy gift: the sun), the beneficial consequences of this development will be far-reaching.