Commercial Solar Newcastle

Installing a commercial solar system in your Newcastle business works in conjunction with your existing grid electricity supply. You can reduce your electricity costs with a commercial solar system, as the electricity generated by your commercial solar power system directly offsets the amount of electricity you need to purchase from your electricity retailer.

When your solar system is producing electricity, it is sent to your business for consumption and any gap in your electricity needs is then covered by the grid. Conversely, any excess energy generation is sent out to the grid. Depending on where you are and your retailer, you may or may not receive a payment for energy production. A new “Bi-Directional” electricity meter will be installed as part of the system and will keep track of your commercial solar systems energy generation, consumption and excess.

There are two ways in which you are able to save money with your commercial solar panels. Firstly, there is the potential to "sell" excess energy produced by your system back to the grid. Secondly, every unit of electricity your solar power system produces that your business consumes directly reduces the electricity you need to purchase from your electricity provider.

The value of this is determined by the rate you would have paid for that electricity (you can check how much you pay for daytime electricity on your electricity bill). However, the amount of your electricity that a solar power system can offset (as a percentage of your overall consumption) will depend on the size of the solar system you install and the amount of electricity you consume in daylight hours (i.e. when the solar system is producing electricity). As a solar power provider, Delta Electrical can provide you with detailed analysis on the most appropriate size of system based on:

• Available roof space
• Electricity consumption patterns
• Budget

Commercial solar is often a better investment than residential solar because businesses use most of their power during the day. Instead of selling power back to the grid for around 15c/kWh, you will use the power you generate and save around 22c/kWh. Because of this, the return on investment for a commercial solar system is usually even faster than a standard residential installation. The payback period for even a small commercial solar system can be less than three years.

In Newcastle, commercial solar system can cost around $1 per watt fully installed as a rough estimate. This means that a 30kW system will cost approximately $30 000, and a 100kW system will cost approximately $100 000.

These estimates are based on the average installation, however, simpler jobs can come in significantly cheaper and more complicated installations can exceed these estimates. Factors that affect the price include:

• The height of the roof. Warehouse or high-rise buildings can increase costs.
• The simplicity of solar panel layout.
• Roof access - do we need an elevated work platform or a crane?
• Age of switchboard or do we need to upgrade the switchboard?
• Location of the inverter.
• Length of the cable run.
• Obstacles or shading on the roof.

These are just some examples of how installations can become more complex, however, this can all be covered when you begin discussing the project and get your quote.

Newcastle businesses can expect a straight-forward commercial solar system will take around one day per 10kW to install. For example, a 30kW system will take around three days and a 100kW system could take as long as two weeks.

Generally, this will cause minimal interruption to your business. As for any required power outages, we can arrange power outages to occur outside of business operating hours if needed.

There are pros and cons to most business investments, and solar energy is no exception. However, the disadvantages of solar power are relatively negligible compared to the money you can save.

The main disadvantage of solar is that it does not produce power at night, but there is a simple solution to this problem: solar batteries.  As part of your commercial solar system, you can install solar batteries to store excess solar power. In saying that, as most commercial operations use the majority of their power during the day, daytime production is usually less of a disadvantage in commercial premises.

Another con to consider is less of a disadvantage of solar energy itself, and more an unfortunate by-product of having an industry boom like solar has experienced in Australia: dodgy solar dealers and installers. As with any industry that becomes popular and expands in a short time, there are always people within that industry trying to get rich quick. Strict solar industry regulations have made some progress in mitigating these types of companies, but consumers should still be aware when investing in solar energy.