Blog; Energy Savings for Businesses, The Benefits of Solar PV and Battery Storage

In today’s fast-paced world, businesses are looking for sustainable ways to cut costs and reduce their carbon footprint. One popular solution is installing a commercial solar PV rooftop system with battery storage. This setup offers many benefits, such as saving money, increasing energy independence, helping the environment, and providing flexibility and efficiency in energy use.

By incorporating a commercial solar PV rooftop array, businesses can generate their own electricity and significantly reduce their dependence on the grid while lowering energy costs. Solar power enables businesses to harness clean and renewable energy from sunlight, thereby reducing or even eliminating electricity bills. The initial investment required for installing the system can often be recouped within a few years through these cost savings, leading to increased profitability and improved financial stability.

In this case study, Julian Grant, General Manager at Chauvin Arnoux UK, explains how the data from a three-phase PEL provides crucial insights into energy consumption, peak demand times, usage patterns and opportunities to improve energy efficiency while considering installation of solar PV arrays and battery storage.

Integrating a battery storage system with the commercial solar PV array offers businesses greater energy independence and enhanced reliability. Excess solar energy generated during the day can be stored in batteries for use during periods of low solar generation or at night. This stored energy ensures a continuous power supply, reducing reliance on the grid and protecting against power outages. By having a reliable and self-sustaining energy source, businesses can maintain critical operations, improving overall productivity and customer satisfaction.

Apart from reduced energy bills and reliance on the grid, one other significant advantage of commercial solar PV rooftop arrays is their positive environmental impact. Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source that produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation. By transitioning to solar power, businesses can contribute to the global effort to combat climate change, reduce air pollution, and conserve natural resources. Embracing sustainable practices and reducing their carbon footprint enhances the company’s environmental reputation, attracting eco-conscious customers and stakeholders who value businesses that prioritise environmental responsibility.

Commercial solar PV rooftop arrays offer businesses scalability and flexibility to adapt to changing energy needs. With available roof space, companies can easily expand their solar capacity by adding more panels. This allows them to generate additional electricity to meet growing demands. The modular nature of solar systems enables businesses to incrementally increase their capacity over time, aligning with their future growth plans and energy requirements. The flexibility provided by commercial solar PV systems ensures long-term suitability and the ability to scale up as needed.

Before embarking on a solar PV project, businesses must first gain a comprehensive understanding of their electricity usage patterns by measuring consumption throughout the day and night, assessing variations on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, and identifying seasonal fluctuations due to factors such as lighting, heating and air-conditioning.

This is best achieved using a portable power and energy logger from Chauvin Arnoux, a powerful instrument that measures and records key parameters such as voltage, current, power, and energy usage. The data from it provides key insights into actual energy usage patterns like identification of peak demand periods, usage trends, inefficiencies, and opportunities to improve energy efficiency.

The energy consumption data collected by the three-phase PEL also plays a crucial role in specifying the sizing of a commercial solar PV array. It enables businesses to estimate the required capacity of the solar panels to generate sufficient electricity to meet their energy demands. By considering factors such as the available roof space and orientation, solar irradiation levels, and energy usage patterns, the data procured from a Chauvin Arnoux power and energy logger ensured that the solar PV system is appropriately sized for maximum energy generation and cost savings.

Incorporating a battery storage system into a commercial solar PV array further enhanced energy independence and reliability. In this scenario, the three-phase PEL helped determine the required capacity of the battery storage system by logging energy usage data during non-sunlight hours. This data provides insights into the amount of stored energy needed to meet the premises’ energy demands during periods of low solar generation or high consumption.

Investing in a commercial solar PV rooftop array and battery storage system can offer businesses a wide array of benefits. The significant cost savings achieved through reduced electricity bills, enhanced energy independence, and reliability, make solar power an attractive solution. Moreover, embracing solar energy contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing carbon footprints and supporting the use of clean, renewable energy sources. This way, businesses not only boost their profits but also come across as sustainability leaders, further drawing in eco-friendly customers and partners who appreciate a commitment to a greener future.