How does commercial solar work?

Think of a commercial solar panel system as your Brisbane business’s in-house coal fire power station – minus the pollution.

Because electricity always takes the path of least resistance, when your solar panels are generating power, your business will use the energy from your power station first. This means you won’t pay to use coal-fired electricity.

If you need more power, your system will automatically buy electricity from the grid. If you have excess solar power, your solar will automatically sell it back to the grid.

Do you really save money with commercial solar panels?

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 a simple commercial solar system can be less than three years.

How much do commercial solar panels cost in Brisbane?

In Brisbane, a Commercial solar system costs around $1 per watt fully installed. A 30kW system will cost around $30 000, and a 100kW system will cost about $100 000.

Obviously, this is a ballpark figure. Simple jobs can come in significantly cheaper and complicated installations could blow out. Factors that affect the price include:

• The height of the roof. (Warehouse or highrise?)
• The simplicity of solar panel layout.
• Access to the roof. (Do we need an elevated work platform or a crane?)
• Age of switchboard. (Does it need upgrading?)
• Location of the inverter.
• Length of the cable run.
• Obstacles or shading on the roof.
• Is the size of the job in the “sweet spot”? “Read more about the commercial solar sweet spot.”

How long does it take to install commercial solar panels?

A simple Brisbane commercial solar system will take around one day per 10kW to install.

• A 30kW system will take around three days.
• A 100kW system could take as long as two weeks.

Generally, this will cause minimal interruption to your business. We can arrange power outages outside of business hours.

What are the main disadvantages of solar energy?

There are pros and cons to solar energy. The main disadvantage of solar is that it does not produce power at night.  A simple solution to this is to install batteries to store excess solar power. However, as of 2019, using solar batteries in Brisbane commercial situations is not economically viable. Daytime production is usually less of a disadvantage in commercial premises because most businesses use the majority of their electricity during the day.

Another disadvantage of solar energy is the proliferation of dodgy solar. The solar industry – as we know it – has only been around since about 2009. As with any industry that booms in a short time, cowboys come to town to make a quick buck. Strict solar industry regulations have made some progress in subduing “crap solar”. However, the solar industry is still a “buyer beware” market. You’ll want to avoid your solar investment prematurely ending up in the landfill.

Can I run an air-conditioner with solar power?

Yes. Solar works perfectly to offset commercial air conditioners. Solar works best in the middle of the day and on hot Brisbane summer days. Hot summer days are also the times that commercial air-conditioners work the hardest.

How many solar panels do I need for 1000 kWh per month?

A standard-size panel is about 330w, so you need about three panels to make up a kilowatt (kW). In Brisbane, a kilowatt of north-facing solar panels will produce about 4.2kWh of solar power per day (averaged over the year). Using this information, we can work out that:

• Three (330w) solar panels will produce about 4.2kWh x 30 days = 126kW a month
• 24 (330w) solar panels will produce about 8 x 4.2kWh = 1000kWh a month.

So to generate 1000kWh of solar per month in Brisbane, you’ll need 24 x 330W panels or a 7.9kW system. A 7.9kW solar system is about the average size solar system we install for an average Brisbane home.

Can solar panels eliminate my electricity bill?

Yes, it’s possible to eliminate an electricity bill with solar. However, to eliminate your power bill entirely, you will need to produce significantly more solar power during sunlight hours than you consume over 24 hours. This is because:

• It costs more to buy 1kWh of electricity at night than you will get paid to sell 1kWh of solar during the day.
• You will also need to offset fees and charges on your power bill (eg: daily metering charges).

Are there any government rebates for commercial solar

Yes. While it’s technically not called a rebate, you can receive two financial incentives to install solar on a commercial building.

1. In Qld, solar systems under 39kW are usually eligible for a feed-in tariff. A feed-in tariff is the amount your energy retailer will pay and credit towards your energy bill for the excess solar power you feed back to the grid. The rate they pay will vary but it is usually a bit less than the price you pay for electricity.
2. Systems under 100kW are eligible to receive a “point of sale discount” called “STCs” or “small-scale technology certificates”.

• In 2020 this equates to roughly $500 per kW
• A 30kW system will attract a $15 000 incentive – or point-of-sale discount.
• A 100 kW system will attract a $50 000 incentive – or point-of-sale discount.

This value of STCs varies daily, so the figures above are only a rough guide.

We, like most Brisbane commercial solar companies, quote solar with the STC’s already discounted off the price. So a 30kW solar system will cost around $45000, but we will quote and charge you about $30 000.

When it comes to commercial solar inverters, reliability is of paramount importance.

Fronius monitoring (ie: SolarWeb) allows you to remotely check that your commercial solar panel system is operating normally.
In the unlikely event that there is an issue, both the customer and the installer will receive an email with information about what is causing the problem. With automated monitoring systems like this in place, we can make sure your commercial solar panel system is operational again as quickly as possible.

Without monitoring, you’d likely not notice an issue until your next power bill came in which by then could be thousands of dollars in loss.

When it comes to commercial solar panels, Q-Cells are a great option. Their latest commercial panels are an impressive 395W with a 25-year performance warranty.

They’re an extremely high-quality panel which is important when you’re installing for commercial purposes. A large part of the installation cost is in the labour. If you were to go for an inferior panel that needed replacing after just a handful of years, you would need to pay for that labour again.

Not only are Q-Cell solar panels of great quality, but they also come at an extremely competitive price. Commercial solar panel installs usually mean a large number of solar panels to be installed. Therefore, the price of the solar panel will make a big difference to the bottom line.

READ OUR CUSTOMERS’ REVIEWS