Because most businesses consume power during the day, they are uniquely placed to make the most out of a commercial solar system. Solar works best when it is consumed on site rather being exported to the grid.

A commercial solar system offers a range of benefits to your business: 

Return on investment

Falling solar prices have noticeably improved the ROI of commercial solar. In fact we are now seeing systems paying themselves off well under five years. Our consultants will create a realistic ROI for you based on your energy patterns, costs of energy and size of system that can be fitted.

Improved sustainability credentials

A commercial solar system shows your customers your commitment to renewable energy and sustainability instead of coal power. The installation of solar can often prove a ‘quick win’ in becoming a more sustainable business.

Energy stability and security

The energy generated by a commercial solar system is first consumed by the building. This provides a layer of energy security as the power for the building is generated onsite instead of relying on the grid.

Warranty and workmanship

For peace of mind your system will feature high quality solar panels and inverters which feature product warranties up to 10 years. Our workmanship is also warrantied for 10 years.

In depth monitoring and analysis

Monitoring is standard on most solar systems. Commercial solar systems can provide in-depth monitoring and analysis. We can even create custom, branded display screens for the public areas of your business.

Maintenance and servicing

Our (optional) comprehensive maintenance and service program means that your system will run worry free for years. Our monitoring software often mean that we get notified of any issues before you notice.

Quick facts about commercial solar systems:

Sizes:

There are currently four size categories for commercial solar. The size your business needs is determined by your energy requirements and the available installation space.

1. 0 – 30kW

Mainly installed on smaller businesses and schools, these are treated similar to a residential system and qualify for upfront discounts via the Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) scheme. 

2. 30kW – 100kW

Installed on mid sized businesses, these systems still qualify for STCs and sometimes may need additional design and engineering work. For almost every distributor in Australia, systems greater than 30kW at the inverter require network grid protection equipment to protect the network from problems arising from the generator. This adds a significant cost onto the price of larger systems but is a mandatory requirement. Another thing with larger systems is that, due to the size of the array, structural engineering analysis and certification is required on nearly every job. This ensures the design is appropriate and also that the safety of the customer’s building and employees are not imperiled by a poorly installed system. 

3. 100kW plus

These systems don’t qualify for upfront discounts via STCs but instead use Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) which apply a ‘rebate’ by calculating the amount of energy generated each year. Our team will help you through the LGC process.

4. Over 250kW

Systems larger than 250kW are custom designed and assessed by our in house designers and installation team. We are experts at large commercial systems and have won awards for our work.

Connection

To get a commercial solar system connected to the grid, special paperwork for commissioning and connection is required. These need to be submitted to the local distributor and retailer. We submit most of the paperwork for you and work closely with your team to get the system connected and running.

Roof vs ground mount.

Most commercial roofs can  take the weight of a solar PV system if installed correctly. As mentioned above, Envirogroup design within the parameters set by our structural engineers and provide certification of compliance for large systems. Contrary to what you might think, newer commercial buildings are often less capable of taking a solar array than older ones which were often over-engineered. However, there are times when the roof of building is not suitable because it does not have enough structure in the roof frame or it is just too complex or shaded. This is common in rural areas where places like packing sheds, chook sheds, wineries etc have large roof areas with little in the way of structure. That is, rafter and purlin spans are too far apart to mount solar and the building has primarily been built to keep the rain out rather than mounting a few tonne of crystal and glass on it. Many times, in these circumstances, there is a lot of available property we can use to ground mount a solar system.

Installing a commercial solar system on a ground mount can be costly. The construction of the ground mounted structures add to the cost of the build. There is also the consideration of cable runs back to the meter. Since these distances can be much longer than a roof mounted system, the size of the cable must increase to mitigate voltage-drop and the cost of cable goes up A LOT as it gets bigger.  It also needs to be trenched into the ground. So, for ground mounts, there are substantial non-system costs. However, the cost benefit of having solar power will ultimately pay back these additional costs, just a bit longer than a roof mounted system.

Batteries:

For businesses that require power in the evening, or protection from power cuts is required, batteries are now an option. Once a very expensive investment, more and more commercial battery options are being introduced which can be affordable. Talk to us about your energy needs.