24 Oct Solar PV Systems in Manufacturing for Irish Companies

Solar PV Systems in manufacturing – An easy win in renewable energy!

There are lots of positives with Solar PV systems, but one small drawback while we in Ireland are waiting for net-metering to catch up with the rest of the world is that electricity is being produced on a Saturday and Sunday when often nobody is in the premises. More and more we are seeing manufacturing plants introduce Saturday and Sunday shifts to make use of this electricity. It’s an interesting trend in energy management that likely doesn’t suit every business, but certainly one that makes sense in some cases. In time, this over-production of electricity may represent a revenue stream in the form of micro-generation so staff can get their weekends back, but for now, some organisations are choosing to make use of it.

Greentricity generally design systems to minimise over-production but we expect we will be designing systems to maximise production in order to gain in the form of energy credits from the grid. All very welcome, but not there just yet.

When Greentricity design solar PV systems we spend a good deal of time matching the system size to the electricy usage of the organisation. This reduces the amount of over-production and hence improves the return on investment timeline considerably. When a business closes at the weekend, there is a measurable amount of over-production we can’t do very much with because the battery technology isn’t affordable for these larger systems. However, introducing weekend shift work or even charging of electrical machines on Sunday for example, can mean a much better bang for your buck. Buildings that work 7 x days and with a large m2 footprint have the potential to generate enough from solar to cover 35-40% of their annual spend on electricity.

But where do you start? Start by understanding the potential from your roof. Without any cost or obligation, we can tell you the best size of solar PV system for your building as well as the best positioning on your roof. We do the calculations for you so you understand how much electricity you will save each year as things currently stand. We’ll then help you get a picture of what the potential is. So when the time is right, you can add to your solar array and sell back to the grid. Get the information you need to make an informed decision.