RACV Noosa Resort builds a "mini solar city" to power its electric future

RACV Noosa Resort is scaling up its solar footprint, completing an expansion of its solar panel network, which is now one of the largest known solar installations at a hotel or resort on the Sunshine Coast.

The milestone follows RACV Noosa Resort becoming one of the first two hotels in Australia to earn Ecotourism Australia’s Advanced Sustainable Tourism Certification.

Completed in July, the expansion takes the resort to 2,107 solar panels with a generation capacity of approximately 940 kilowatts. Once fully commissioned, the system is expected to significantly increase the share of the resort’s power drawn from the sun and reduce its reliance on the grid.

RACV Noosa Resort Manager Darren McClenaghan said the “mini solar city” was about powering the resort’s future.

"We've been harnessing solar at Noosa for years, but adding 1,399 new panels takes it to a whole new level – a genuine mini solar city," Mr McClenaghan said.

"At around 940 kilowatts, that's roughly the equivalent of powering 270 homes a year. As we move off gas and welcome more electric vehicles, we'll draw more of our power from the Queensland sun.

"Sustainability matters to the people who stay with us, and this is an important commitment we've made to support that."

By June 2026, the resort had also replaced gas with 142 electric heat pump hot water units and 61 electric cooktops as part of RACV’s multi-year degasification program.

RACV Executive General Manager Leisure Craig Peachey said the solar expansion was the engine of a broader electrification model across RACV Resorts.

"As we move our resorts off gas and accommodate more electric vehicle charging for guests, generating clean power on site will help meet that growing demand – reducing further reliance on the grid," Mr Peachey said.

"Our mini solar city at Noosa is one example of how we're making sustainability a meaningful part of how we operate."

Ecotourism Australia Chief Executive Officer Elissa Keenan said RACV Noosa Resort continued to set the pace for responsible tourism.

"Since achieving Advanced Sustainable Tourism Certification, RACV Noosa Resort has shown a proactive, ongoing commitment to sustainability," Ms Keenan said.

“It shows large operators can be trailblazers, embedding sustainable practices in a way that inspires others to follow.”

RACV Noosa Resort and RACV Royal Pines Resort were the first hotels in Australia to attain Advanced Sustainable Tourism Certification, part of all ten RACV club and resort properties certified by Ecotourism Australia.

The solar expansion builds on a broader suite of sustainability initiatives at RACV Noosa Resort, including electric vehicle infrastructure for guests, electricity matched to 100 per cent renewable sources; with the majority matched to hydro generation from the Snowy Scheme, alongside a Climate Active–certified carbon-neutral 'Green LPG' product, dedicated waste recycling streams, and irrigation supported by rainwater tanks. These are complemented by staff reforestation through Tourism Noosa's Tread Lightly program, and the Go Green and Give initiative, which allows guests to opt out of daily housekeeping while supporting local community partners.