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ALDI Solar System installed at Brendale, QLD

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A press release by Epho Commercial Solar Energy this morning announced that they have completed installation of a 1MW PV solar system on top of ALDI’s distribution centre at Brendale, QLD. The ALDI solar system is now live and is expected to offset the equivalent amount of carbon to planting 30,000 trees or taking 422 cars off the road each year. 

ALDI Solar System at Brendale

1MW Aldi Solar System at Brendale Distribution Centre
1MW Aldi Solar System at Brendale Distribution Centre (source: app.com.au)

The 1MW PV solar rooftop at the ALDI Brendale Distribution centre will generate 1.45 million kwH (1,454Mwh) and was installed by Epho, using over 20km of cabling and 3,400 solar panels. It was installed while the distribution centre was in use – making the installation a bit tricky and requiring expert installers. Epho has previously worked with ALDI via a commercial solar pilot program in 2016, where stores in NSW and VIC had smaller solar systems installed. 

Epho Operations Manager Luke Butterworth expounded further on the install in the media release: “To meet ALDI’s stringent requirements and maintain its award-winning customer experience, each ALDI installation needed to happen in a ‘ghost-like’ manner with minimal disturbance to the normal operation to ALDI’s business,” said Mr Butterworth. “The 1MW project allowed Epho to demonstrate every facet of our turnkey solar power solution to our customer, from project management, to stakeholder management, engineering and operations as well as work health and safety.”

Dr Oliver Hartley, Epho’s MD, was similarly excited, noting in the press release that “Solar power is a perfect fit for supermarkets and these large commercial solar systems can supply a significant chunk of the electricity needs for stores and distribution centres with free and clean renewable energy for years to come.”

It’s estimated that the system will fully cover the facility’s power requirements on a sunny day (and there are plenty of those in Queensland!)

Commercial Solar in Australia

Back in September, we reported on the growing trend of private businesses installing solar power on their premises, noting that commercial solar installs are up 60% in the last year and a half. 

Installs such as the Brisbane Aiport Solar System,  Complete Office Supplies’ private solar investment, and the Mitani Group’s commercial solar installation in South Australia are becoming commonplace as commercial solar grows as a financially viable option to protect against rapidly rising electricity costs. Great to see ALDI following suit and we’re sure there will be many more to come as Australia continues its renewable energy revolution. 

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Solar for Businesses rising rapidly in Australia.

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As per the ABC, Byron Bay based energy consultants SunWiz have released statistics that show solar for businesses is on a strong upward trend in Australia, with commercial solar installs up 60% in the last year and a half. 

Solar for Businesses 

The number of businesses installing solar panels onsite has reached 40,736 systems in the last year and a half over 2016 and 2017, according to Sunwiz MD Warwick Johnston. Johnston was also quoted on the ABC website as discussing the rising electricity prices as an impetus for more and more businesses to look into renewable energy so as to minimise exposure to the prices: 

“It used to be electricity was comparably cheap for businesses when compared to residential electricity prices, but what we are seeing now is electricity prices for businesses really skyrocket and it’s started to become a significant expense.”

Business Solar Case Studies

Last year Infinite Energy installed a 312kW system at Broadway Fair Shopping Centre in Perth – with 948 solar panels and, according to Broadway Fair GM Paul Avon-Smith, saving the comple $20,000 per month in power bills. According to Aidan Jenkins of Infinite Energy, “Solar currently represents the cheapest way to generate electricity, so we will start to see these type of systems become the norm over the next couple of years.”

More recently, the Brisbane Aiport Solar System is set to top out at a massive 6MW (19,200 solar panels) when it is completed next year. The project is set to be worked on in five stages and is going to be created in conjunction with Epho and Shakra Energy. Oliver Hartley from Epho said, “The introduction of such a significant solar system is a prime example of how BAC is adopting world-leading technologies in harmony with its sustainability focus.” 

Office supply company Complete Office Supplies’ private solar investment in June this year was a massive $1m in rooftop PV solar at their Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne warehouse locations (the 611MWh solar systems installed by Sun Connect and account for 80% of COS’ energy requirements).

Solar for Businesses - Complete Office Supplies
Solar for Businesses – Complete Office Supplies (source:cos.net.au)

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Brisbane Airport Solar System – 6MW To Be Installed

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Brisbane Airport Solar System – the Brisbane airport have announced that they will install a massive 6MW PV solar array across six sites at Brisbane Airport (BNE). Huge news for commercial solar and renewable energy in general!

Brisbane Airport Solar

According to a spec sheet on the official BNE website, the Brisbane airport solar upgrade will be complete by the end of 2018. It’s already begun work and at the end of the project, six distinct sites across the airport will host 19,200 new solar PV panels generating 6MW per year. It’s to be created with Epho and Shakra Energy. Oliver Hartley from Epho said “The introduction of such a significant solar system is a prime example of how BAC is adopting world-leading technologies in harmony with its sustainability focus.” 

Once complete and fully operational, the new solar installation will account for 18% of BAC’s electricity consumption, or 6% of the airport’s total electricity usage. This may not seem like a lot, but it will reduce carbon emissions by 8000 tonnes per year – equivalent to 750 households. 

The project will be built in 5 stages, starting with stages 1a and 1b in 2017 – .26MW at Skygate, and 0.22MW at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. The following stages will involve solar roof panels installed on the domestic terminal car parks (both P1 and P2), the International Terminal, and ground panels at Pandanus Avenue. 

GM of BNE, Krishan Tangri, at the Brisbane Airport Solar array.
GM of BNE (Assets), Krishan Tangri, at the Brisbane Airport Solar array.

The General Manager of Assets at the BAC, Krishan Tangri, was quoted on their website discussing the changes the BAC have made to try reduce energy consumption and increase renewable generation: “We are acutely aware of the increasing energy needs of running a major airport and since 2012 we’ve had an extensive energy reduction program in place resulting in the completion of 40 projects which collectively save more than 8 GWh per year.” Tangri also noted that “…with (solar) systems becoming more efficient and more affordable to install, it makes financial sense to invest in this readily available supply of renewable energy to save costs and decrease our carbon footprint.”

Always great to see more commercial solar investment – we’ll follow the project with interest and keep you updated on any changes to the Brisbane Airport solar array!

 

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