For Solar Power, Ripley Is the Next Hotspot

 

Named eponymously after the valley it sits in (i.e. Ripley valley), Ripley is a small locality just south of the town of Ipswich. It is located only 5 miles from the city center and 25 miles from the Brisbane Central business district. Ripley has been in news lately due to plans of elaborate development as part of the Brisbane metropolitan western growth corridor project.

This is very good news for bringing solar power in Ripley, as newer and greener homes would be built and would definitely employ solar power. All of this is enumerated below.

Ripley is considered a proper suburb of Ipswich with a few residential homes strewn about. These homes are atypical suburban homes with a small yard attached. Ripley is also encased on two sides by two important roads. To its north west lies Cunningham highway and to tis south east lies centenary highway. Transportation to both Ipswich and Brisbane is quite easy.

Ripley came into the spotlight recently as the Queensland government along with the local government decided to develop certain areas for residential and commercial real estate. The development plan known as Ecco Ripley plans to build residential areas in the surrounding areas and a major part of Ripley.

This development is forecasted to build around fifty thousand housing units, both in condominium style and in independent houses. Land release for this started around 2012 and construction on the project has already started. It is expected that by 2031 this area will house over a 100,000 people.

Currently, Ripley has a population of only 1000. The population of south eastern Queensland is scheduled to grow to 4.4 million by the year 2031. Hence the plan was made to develop the areas around Ipswich as they would be close to a business hub like Brisbane.

This is an opportunity like none other and none before that presents itself for the development of Solar power in Ripley. With Multinational companies involved in the process it is an imperative to push for solar power in so many of the newer projects that are planned or already underway in Ripley.

Ripley is already quite well connected and supplied by Conventional power grid lines. In the coming years as the population of this area grows, so will the demand for energy. For a business hub to develop and thrive in the region Solar power can provide a renewable, non-polluting energy solution.

Solar power in Ripley can be developed in two ways. One could be the installation of large arrays to produce a substantial amount of backup power for the growing demands of the area. This should reach a point to minimize conventional power consumption by the time the whole development project is completed. The impetus for this however needs to be put now.

The other option is to also push for individual home owners to take up solar power. The incentive for them would be of lower power costs in the long run. If proper actions and decisions are taken in time, Solar power in Ripley can show the way how newer developments can become cleaner and greener and would be a trailblazer for other to follow.