Solar Power Shines In Adelaide’s CBD

This pretty impressive solar panel installation recently popped up in the heart of Adelaide, on the rooftop of jewellery company Shiels’ headquarters.

Founded in 1945 by Jack Shiels, Mr Shiels and his wife ran the company from Adelaide for more than 32 years before it was sold to local businessman Albert Bensimon in 1977. The company grew from a single store operating out of Adelaide’s Central Market Arcade to dozens of stores across South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia operating today; along with an online store.

Shiels’ Compton Street HQ building recently had a solar energy makeover – installed by Venergy.

“With a challenging roof space and a high demand for electricity, Venergy designed a system that would optimise and maximise the available roof space. “

The Venergy team certainly did, although some of the panels appear to be laid flat – in which case cleaning will be required from time to time. Here’s another angle:

The 68kW system is comprised of the following major components:

• 415 watt SunPower solar panels
• SolarEdge inverter and optimisers
• Clenergy mounting system

“Boasting 25-year panel and optimiser warranty, this system is of the highest standard and quality and will power a long-standing Adelaide family business for many years to come!,” said Venergy.

Optimisers are particularly useful in situations where there are multiple rooftop faces and various obstructions that can cast shade on some of the panels at times. Optimisers are a form of Panel-Level Optimisation (PLO), aka Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE), which involves the use of smart electronics to optimise the power output of each solar panel in a string independently.

Venergy has been in the PV installation game since 2009, installing thousands of residential and commercial solar systems across its home state of South Australia, and also in NSW, QLD and Victoria.

Adelaide CBD A Potential PV Powerhouse

Solar panels are increasingly catching on in the Adelaide CBD postcode area, with more than 1,000 small-scale systems for a collective capacity just shy of 11.6MW installed as at the end of February. The Australian PV Institute estimated total capacity in the City of Adelaide local government area, including large-scale (100kW+) systems, at around 16MW as at the end of last year.

The potential for PV-based power generation in the Central Business District is substantial. Analysis by APVI back in 2018 indicated Adelaide’s CBD could support 129MW of solar panels on the rooftops of its buildings. So, only 113MW to go.

Small scale commercial solar power is eligible for Australia’s solar rebate, which can knock thousands off the up-front cost. But there’s also another generous incentive on offer from the City of Adelaide – up to $5,000 subsidy on residential and commercial systems installed within the LGA.

Even without the City of Adelaide’s financial support, if a business can afford to pay its electricity bills, it can afford to go solar – and payback on small-scale systems can be just a few years.

Whether for a commercial or residential application, given the cost of solar these days it can make solid financial sense to install as many panels as a rooftop can host. Pick up some tips on sizing solar systems.