50kW is likely one of the hottest solar system sizes for industrial solar purposes in Australia. Any enterprise proprietor can attest that grid electrical energy costs have risen dramatically up to now few years, and lots of are actually turning in direction of solar power as a strategy to cut back their invoice. This article takes a take a look at pricing, energy yields the elements that affect returns for 50kW solar methods in Australia.
How a lot does a 50kW solar system price?
Solar power system costs have fallen dramatically in Australia in the previous few years, and increasingly companies are adopting solar PV as a sensible strategy to cut back their operational overheads. Solar Choice has been monitoring the price of industrial solar methods in Australia since 2014, publishing common figures every month in our Commercial Solar Price Index.
Based on this knowledge we will see the typical price of a 50kW system is $52,680 together with the STC rebate and GST. Noting that costs will fluctuate relying on which solar tools and installers are chosen and whether or not there are any extra prices required (equivalent to crane rent, switchboard upgrades, lengthy cable runs).
Historically we will see that the price of a 50kW solar system has greater than halved over the past decade.
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How a lot power does a 50kW system produce?
A lot of elements may affect the precise output of a 50kW solar system (or any measurement of solar system). These embrace the system’s geographical location, the orientation and tilt angle of the solar panels, the presence of shading, the working temperature of the panels and inverter, and the efficiency of the elements used within the system.
The most hypothetical yield of a solar PV system is set first by the quantity of incident daylight that it’s going to see in the midst of a day, month, 12 months, and so forth. Different areas of Australia obtain completely different quantities of sunshine relying on their latitude and local weather.
As a rule of thumb, nevertheless, a 50kW solar system in Australia may be anticipated to provide round 4 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per kW of put in capability per day, averaged all year long. This would work out to a complete of about 200kWh of solar energy per day for what you are promoting. Keep in thoughts that this determine will fluctuate relying on the system’s location (Brisbane tends to see rather more sunshine than Hobart, for instance) and the time of 12 months (system output is often greater in the summertime time due to the longer days).
Keep in thoughts, nevertheless, that there will probably be seasonal fluctuations as nicely. For instance, a 50kW solar system in Sydney, NSW would produce about (3kWh x 50kW =) 150kWh of power on a day in the midst of winter, whereas in the summertime output from the identical 50kW solar PV system could be round (5kWh x 50kW =) 250kWh. An analogous system in Brisbane would possibly produce as a lot as 175kWh in winter and 275kWh on a summer season day.
Based on daylight irradiance historical past from the Bureau of Meteorology we now have calculated the output of a 50kW solar system in all the foremost cities of Australia within the under desk:
Indicative Output of a 50kW Solar System (by capital metropolis) |
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City | Average Daily Output | Estimated Annual Output |
Adelaide | 185 kWh | 67,525 kWh |
Brisbane | 200 kWh | 73,000 kWh |
Canberra | 185 kWh | 67,525 kWh |
Darwin | 215 kWh | 78,475 kWh |
Hobart | 150 kWh | 54,750 kWh |
Melbourne | 160 kWh | 58,400 kWh |
Perth | 205 kWh | 74,825 kWh |
Sydney | 175 kWh | 63,875 kWh |
Assumptions and limitations of those estimates:
- Figures calculated utilizing PVsyst software program
- Assumes solar panels are put in going through north at 5 levels
- Assumes a conservative system effectivity of 78%
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50kW solar system for Grafton Library in Grafton, NSW. (Project tender managed by Solar Choice Commercial.)
50kW solar power set up as a part of the Solar in Clubs scheme, Crescent Head, NSW. (Project tender managed by Solar Choice Commercial.)
Solar alternative has helped a mess of Clubs and Pubs throughout the nation look into their solar potential.
How many solar panels and roof area do you want for a 50kW solar system?
W the effectivity of solar panels growing quickly, the output of single solar panel is exceeding 500W for main fashions. For a typical 50kW solar system quote you’ll be 95 to 115 particular person solar panels.
Solar panels in industrial solar tasks are often bigger in dimensions that the majority residential solar panels, typically measuring round 1 metre by 2 metres. After leaving an exclusion zone across the fringe of the roof and area between the panels for upkeep, you’ll require round 400 sq. metres of usable roof area to put in a 50kW solar system.
Financial returns for 50kW solar methods – is it price it?
According to our personal knowledge (from practically 300 enterprise circumstances compiled in 2021), payback intervals for 50kW solar system in Australia are round 3 years on common, with inside charges of return (IRR) simply hitting 20-30% in each state & territory within the nation. After factoring in the advantages of the moment asset write program the federal government launched in response to COVID-19 the payback interval is at present even higher.
That being stated, the funding case for putting in a 100kW solar system is determined by the circumstances. The major elements that affect solar system ROI are:
- The up-front and ongoing prices related to the system
- The price of mains electrical energy
- Methods of cost/financing for the system
- The feed-in-tariff, if any, for surplus power fed into the grid or bought to a 3rd social gathering.
These are mentioned under:
1) Total price of the system
The 50kW solar system prices we now have outlined above (for instance $47,940 inc. GST in Sydney as of mid-2022) are common costs for installs with out vital extras for problems. Through our tender administration service, we now have installers prices for required extras equivalent to switchboard upgrades, crane rent, ground-mounted methods, tilt frames or micro-inverter methods. There are many corporations that may like to throw their hat within the ring for a 50kW system, nevertheless to get the very best value and worth on your system it’s crucial to supply quite a lot of quotes from certified and respected installers.
2) Electricity costs
Each enterprise is usually in a distinct place in regard to their buy power with retailers and skill to entry good charges. Factors influencing the electrical energy prices embrace the variety of websites the enterprise owns and might discount with to acquire a contract, the geographical location, the native community supplier, peak demand expenses and time of energy use. Generally talking the upper your electrical energy charges means the upper the ROI for a solar mission.
3) System financing
Solar may be funded upfront with a payback interval of 2-5 years; nevertheless many companies have progressed on a money move constructive foundation below a financing settlement. That signifies that the repayments on the mortgage are lower than the financial savings that the solar system delivers which grow to be efficient instantly on commissioning the solar system. The enterprise could make a average saving by means of the lifetime of the mortgage and have step lower in operational prices are the top of a 5 – 10 12 months finance settlement. Rates for solar financing are sometimes low between 4 – 6 % relying on mission measurement and credit standing.
To learn a stability evaluation of the professionals and cons of all of the industrial solar financing choices – see our full information.
4) Solar feed-in tariffs
Generally talking, industrial scale solar methods are designed and put in to offset power payments as most industrial power utilization is throughout sunlight hours. That stated a feed-in-tariff may add the icing to the cake and ship some profit to solar power fed again to the grid – e.g. on weekends. Solar Choice’s method is usually to show by means of a enterprise case that the solar mission will probably be viable and not using a feed-in-tariff as there may be in most states there isn’t a obligatory minimal, and it’s not assured {that a} 50kW system will probably be permitted by the native community to export solar energy.
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Since 2008 Solar Choice has consulted with over 3,000 companies round Australia and helped develop over 800MW solar industrial and solar farm tasks.