Case Study: The Big Rocking Horse & Toy Factory

August 5, 2019
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P4B Solar
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Big Rocking Horse - P4B Solar Energy Solutions

The Big Rocking Horse & Toy Factory, up in Gumeracha, were looking for a commercial solar system for their business.

After getting in contact and organising for a meeting with Frans, we discovered that there was a lot of work to be done for this system. Not only did the roof need to be replaced, but there were multiple large gum trees casting a significant amount of shade on the roof space which was most optimal to use.

After some discussion with Frans we had determined that we could cut down one of the trees, but that the rest would not cause too much trouble through the use of SolarEdge optimisers. By having each panel fire up individually and not having to wait for the whole string to receive sunlight, we knew that a SolarEdge solution would make sense for Frans’ business. The 40kW of solar that we installed runs both his Toy Factory as well as the Café next door where parents can sip a coffee whilst their children run around and have a ball!

Benefits of an Optimised Solar System

  • Increased efficiency
  • Safe DC - Rapid Voltage Shutdown in supply fail scenario
  • Panel Level Monitoring Capability
  • Residential efficiency increases by +2% per annum
  • Improved efficiency in high-shade and multi-face installations

After we had mapped out the system for Frans, we went through the proposal with him, explaining that there may be some limitations on this system as we had previously discussed but the figures still looked attractive and the project went ahead. 6 months went by and we had a comprehensive look at this system production to make sure that it was operating as we had expected, consistently, and we were pleased to see that the system had been outperforming our expectations, even with the shading issues.

Big Rocking Horse Solar Comparison Graph
Figure 1.2 shows a comparison graph of what we expected the system to do based on our NearMap findings against what the system has actually done since December 2018.

As you can see from Figure 1.2, Frans’ system has been outperforming out expectations from day one. On average, over the past 6 months, this system, installed with SolarEdge optimisers has been performing 14% higher than we anticipated. This translates to larger savings annually and a reduced repayment period. A win/win for Frans.

All of this and his system still delivers a return on investment (ROI) of over 30%. Therefore, his system will pay for itself in just over 3 short years. This gives him 22 years of free energy generation, minimum.

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Some of P4B Solar & Energy Solutions' 40kW worth of Solar Panels installed at the Big Rocking Horse location in Gumeracha, SA.

If your business is considering Commercial Solar Panel Energy or you’re in need of some advice on what system is best for you, feel free to give us a call or shoot us an email and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can!