This system was installed on a large car dealership in East Tamaki that is a high energy user by way of extensive lighting requirements, office equipment and an auto workshop. The system also services a rear premise that is a panel repair shop tenanted by the same owners that is also a high energy consumer. Both premises are serviced by a single ICP, and the consumption of each is monitored by way of two sub meters; but the benefit of being on a single ICP is that both premises benefit from the Solar generated energy.
The 140.8kWp system consists of 320 x 440Watt flush mounted Jinko modules, and two SMA Core1 Sting Inverters. The panels that were positioned along both the East and West roof planes, and interspersed between the multiple rooftop penetrations and air-con units as appropriate.
An east/west configuration, although not as optimal as a North facing roof, spreads the generation across the course of the day so can still be very effective. And in this case, because the roof pitch was reasonably shallow (only 10 degrees), the panels have greater exposure to day long sun as opposed to a steep pitch roof where the ridge would be more likely to shade the West facing panels in the morning, and the East facing panels in the afternoon.
In this case the building owner, who leased the building to a third party, is the owner of the system and sells the power to the tenant under a Power Partnership Agreement (PPA). Under such an arrangement the system owner has the ability to sell the generated energy to the tenant at a rate lower than they can secure from a conventional retailer. This means the tenant benefits from not only enjoying fixed rate lower energy costs than from the Grid, but also substantiality credentials for their business that drawing energy from an embedded generation source provides.
