Cate Blanchett Shows Off Shiny Solar Power Array

There’s nothing like a celebrity endorsement to take a worthy cause to the next level. That was part of the thrill of seeing actress Cate Blanchett and husband Andrew Upton reveal the Sydney Theater Company’s new rooftop solar installation last week.

Blanchett, who acts as co-artistic director of the theater in Sydney, Australia, aptly stated, “If theater doesn’t engage with the big issues that face human beings and society generally, then it very quickly becomes irrelevant.” The growing need for clean energy certainly constitutes a big social issue.

And it helps that the installation will take care of 70% of the theater’s energy needs—approximately the same amount it would take to power 46 individual homes.

This project was a part of their Greening The Wharf program, and was funded by a whopping $2 million donation from Dr. Zhengrong Shi, CEO and founder of Suntech, the company that supplied the solar panel equipment. Other donations came from the federal and NSW governments.

It’s endorsements like these that will continue to keep solar power on the map.