Benowa McDonald’s, located on Australia’s Gold Coast, is the first McDonald’s to go green with solar. NextGen NRG recently installed 124 solar panels and a commercial scale 25KW Mini Power System at the restaurant.

The key feature of the MPS is how the system distributes power between storage and usage, making sure the batteries aren’t depleted quickly by power hungry appliances. The MPS system has the ability to control all of the input and output load currents. The MPS units can be scaled up or down to meet residential or commercial needs. When utilized commercially, the MPS reduces peak demand, lowering the cost that businesses pay per kilowatt hour.

Benowa McDonald’s expects to save 20% of power costs on the original main. They are not concerned about running out of renewable power stores in his restaurant, as the MPS is set up to ensure that power outages do not occur, “if we run out of power in the gel batteries before the sun’s up again the next morning, it seamlessly, automatically transposes over into mains power”.

This automatic transition ability creates peace of mind when running a business, removing the uncertainty involved with utilizing traditional green power solutions alone, such as solar panels.

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The Enkatalie area on Tanna Island in Vanuatu was one of the hardest hit when Cyclone Pam struck in March 2015. Homes, businesses, vegetation, and lives were destroyed by the natural disaster. The tragedy displayed the extreme vulnerability of local communities without cyclone shelters or modern sanitation and energy services.

From the devastation rose a new project created by the Vanuatu and Tafae provincial governments to rebuild and strengthen Tanna. The first stage of the project, part of Griffith University’s Climate Change Response Program, involved the building of community centers in 15 villages, each building designed to withstand Category 5 cyclones, and powered by Green NRG Co’s Mini Power System. Until now, the communities have not had access to electricity – following the project they now have access to a 24-hour source of renewable energy. The new buildings are fitted with Green NRG Co’s Mini Power Systems, solar panels, wind turbines, LED lighting, solar fridges and air conditioning.

To commemorate the opening of the community medical clinic, a traditional tribal dance celebration was held, with 13 tribal chiefs, 1,000 local dancers and project partners, including Green NRG Co, attending!