In a landmark step toward decarbonised infrastructure, Australian climate-tech innovator Coolsheet™ has begun installing its first commercial-scale Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT) system at the North Sydney Olympic Pool redevelopment a project that pairs world-class renewable heat technology with Australian aluminium engineering supplied by Capral to demonstrate how dual-output rooftop energy can power essential public facilities.
Perched above Sydney Harbour, the redeveloped complex will soon showcase a system that captures not only the sun’s light but also its heat. Traditional photovoltaic panels convert roughly a quarter of solar energy into electricity, while the balance dissipates as waste heat. Coolsheet’s patented aluminium heat-exchange panels recover that heat through a lightweight water jacket attached to the back of each PV module, storing it in hot-water tanks as a thermal battery or using it as a pre-heat loop for heat pumps. Cooling the solar cells also lifts electrical performance, improving PV output while reducing thermal stress and helping extend panel life, which makes the solution a two-for-one rooftop energy platform delivering electricity and renewable heat from the same footprint.
The North Sydney Olympic Pool installation mates Coolsheet’s heat-exchange panels to the rear of 206 × 550 W PV modules, delivering around 114 kWe of electrical capacity and two to three times that figure in thermal output simultaneously. The array forms a highly efficient component of the site’s all-electric heating system, helping maintain year-round temperatures for more than three million litres of water across five pools. Aligned with North Sydney Council’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality across its operations by 2035, the PVT system is designed so that the extra electricity generated from panel cooling offsets its own circulation pump load.
“Coolsheet is proud to partner with North Sydney Council on this landmark project,” said Tom Hoole, Founder & CTO of Coolsheet. “It’s been a complex construction program but now, as the site nears completion, it’s clear this will be a world-class facility showcasing how renewable heat can be built into public infrastructure.”
For Coolsheet, local collaboration is core to scaling renewable heat. The Sydney-founded manufacturer — one of only about fifty PVT makers worldwide and the first in Australia — combines patented design with validation testing completed by UNSW Sydney to bring a robust, locally supported solution to market. “The opportunity for Australian industry is significant,” added Doug Smith, Chairman of Coolsheet. “By capturing more of the sun’s energy through both electricity and heat, we can help manufacturers improve efficiency, reduce energy costs, and strengthen energy resilience all while supporting local jobs and clean technology manufacturing.”
Behind the thermal innovation sits a backbone of Australian aluminium engineering. Coolsheet’s system at North Sydney Olympic Pool is supported by precision-engineered aluminium extrusions supplied by Capral, designed for durability and corrosion resistance in demanding outdoor environments, and manufactured to tight tolerances for fast and reliable installation. “As an Australian manufacturer with a national extrusion and distribution footprint, Capral is focused on enabling the country’s rapidly developing renewables sector,” said Leanne Cannarella, from Capral. “Our role is to bring local expertise, consistent quality and responsive supply to projects like this — supporting innovators with the engineered aluminium solutions they need to deliver clean-energy outcomes at scale.”
As the pool nears completion, the partnership between Coolsheet and Capral underscores a larger shift: renewable heat manufactured and supported in Australia, integrated through resilient local supply chains, and ready to be deployed across sectors with substantial low-grade thermal loads — from food and beverage processing to hotels, laundries, greenhouses and aquatic centres. It’s a practical pathway to decarbonisation that makes better use of every rooftop and every ray of sunlight.
