Cricket Central barely ever switches off. Between the lights, the air-con, the gyms, the wellness pools and the floodlights, it's a high-demand site that runs hard all year, and the power bill reflects that. Cricket NSW wanted to cut its carbon emissions, run a more sustainable operation, and save more money while doing it.
Green.com.au delivered exactly that: a 320kW solar system designed around how Cricket Central uses power, with projected savings of approximately $60,000 a year to reinvest back into the cricket community.
About Cricket Central
Cricket Central is the home of Cricket NSW, a purpose-built, year-round training and administration facility at Wilson Park in Sydney Olympic Park, one of Australia's leading sporting precincts. It opened in 2022 and brings cricketers together from grassroots to elite levels.
The venue includes an International Cricket Council compliant oval, 15 indoor nets, 43 outdoor turf lanes, a gym, 16 meeting rooms, a cafe and a sports science and sports medicine facility with aquatic recovery. It's also home to six professional teams, including the NSW Breakers and Blues, and Sydney Thunder BBL and WBBL. The facility welcomes around 50,000 players every year.
A site that big, open year-round with lights, air-con, a gym and recovery pools running, uses a lot of power. For Cricket NSW, the case for solar was never just about the bill. It was about putting that money back into the game.
The challenge
Cricket NSW was spending far too much on power. Their aim was to reduce energy costs, cut carbon emissions and reinvest the savings into the cricket community.
Solar was a natural fit. Cricket Central's energy loads are high throughout the daytime, exactly when the sun is shining, which means a well-sized system can generate power on site right when it's needed the most.
The solution
The Green.com.au commercial team looked at a range of design scenarios before landing on the system that would be the most effective and most efficient for Cricket NSW's usage, while maximising the roof space available. That process gave Cricket NSW the confidence to move forward.
The final design is a 320kW solar system made up of 538 panels and three 110kW Sungrow inverters. The system was fully designed by our partnered engineering team together with our installers, so every detail was worked through before a single panel went up.
"We reached out to a few companies and from the start, Green.com.au was always really good to deal with, very knowledgeable about what they do, and their pricing was very competitive as well."
- Jarred Farlow, Facilities Manager, Cricket NSW
The process
The Green.com.au commercial process is built around taking the complexity off the business' plate entirely.
A project of this size takes careful coordination, particularly on an active site with staff, players and visitors on the grounds. Once Cricket NSW signed their proposal, they were assigned our dedicated Commercial Project Manager, Emma McKenzie, who looked after the details from start to finish. That included grid applications, council approvals, permits through Sydney Olympic Park, and advance notice of any shutdowns or disruptions at Cricket Cental.
Before a single panel went up, the Green Team conducted a detailed site assessment, reviewing Cricket NSW's interval data, existing infrastructure and site logistics to make sure the design was exactly right.
As with most larger systems, getting the network's permission to connect (PTC) took time, but from Cricket NSW's side, the whole thing was simple.
"Emma, the Project Manager, has been great throughout the whole process, from getting permits with Sydney Olympic Park Authority to notifying us of any shutdowns or any disruptions that we might have at Cricket Central."
- Jarred Farlow, Facilities Manager, Cricket NSW
On install, our crew started with rails, cabling and compliance checks before the panels went onto the roof. A crane was hired to lift the panels into place, and the job was delivered on schedule with minimal disruption to staff and players.
Post-install, Green.com.au continues to support the system with ongoing monitoring, optimisation and customer support, so it keeps performing into the future.
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The outcome
Projected annual savings for Cricket NSW are approximately $60,000 per year off their electricity bill. With a 73% self-consumption rate, most of the solar generated is used directly on site, and a full return on investment is expected in 5-6 years.
Beyond the financial return, the new system is estimated to offset approximately 129.7 tonnes of CO₂ per year, a major step towards Cricket NSW's sustainability goals
"With our new solar install, we're looking at saving upwards of $60,000 a year, which is great. We can then re-invest that into junior cricket and inspire everyone to play and love cricket."
- Jarred Farlow, Facilities Manager, Cricket NSW
What's next?
For Cricket NSW, the savings don't just stay on the balance sheet. Every dollar not spent on electricity can go back into the game, supporting junior cricket, and inspiring more people to play and love the sport.
"I couldn't recommend Green.com.au and the team any more, from our original consultation with them to the finished product now everything has been so smooth. The timelines were pretty much exact, and once we said 'yeah let's do it' it's just been an awesome experience."
- Jarred Farlow, Facilities Manager, Cricket NSW
Ready to cut your commercial energy costs?
Whether you're running a sports facility, a warehouse or a manufacturing site, Green.com.au designs commercial solar and battery solutions tailored to how your business operates and the goals you're working towards. Get started by requesting a free commercial solar & battery feasibility assessment.
