Ullrich Aluminum goes solar

With enough roof space for a 30 kilowatt (kW) system, the owners of Ullrich Aluminium accepted the proposal to lease their roof space to Energy Matters, to install a 29.61 kW system.

The roof-leasing project is an Australian first, and while such schemes are popular in European and American markets, no other company in Australia has rented a roof space to install a solar system.

The 30 kW solar system was installed by a team of in-house installers within one week, which included two days of roof reinforcement, due to the unusually large distance (1.8 m) between its supporting battens.

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The building owners selected the ‘pay never’ option, so Energy Matters owns the system entirely and are paying a commercial rent of $3,000 per annum for 300 square metres of roof space.

Technology specifications

At the site, 126 REC photovoltaic (PV) panels were installed due to their high temperature coefficient rating.

Three SMA 11000 TL inverters were installed, as well as an SMA Sunny Webbox, which allows for data to be sent to the Sunny Webbox portal for remote system monitoring.

Australian-made SunLock solar panel framing was used to secure the system to the roof.

Safety matters

Strict safety measures were put in place at the site, including edge protection, barrier protection, closed off access to front of building during installation, fixed ladders and advice on weight loading for different parts of the roof. A scissor lift was used at the rear of the premises and all installers were provided with customised high-visibility uniforms

Sky-high energy and emissions savings

The rooftop solar system is estimated to produce 49 megawatt hours of electricity annually, the equivalent to powering 8.3 homes. This was calculated as an emissions reduction of 44 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, or equivalent to taking ten cars off the road.

In the first two months after the system was commissioned, it generated more than 5,400 kW hours of electricity. In June 2011, the system had generated 31 per cent more revenue than originally forecasted. This was in part due to higher than average sun hours, but also due to the system’s high energy efficiency.

Roof leasing in the future

Energy Matters has offered the roof-leasing solution to other building owners in the Australian Capital Territory, despite recent amendments to the Territory’s feed-in tariff.

Already a popular concept in Europe and the United States, Energy Matters believes that with favourable feed in tariff conditions, plenty of sunshine and naked roof space, roof leasing could assist Australia to meet its Renewable Energy Target.