100KW Capel, WA

Project Details

Capel Farms engaged West Australian Alternative Energy (WAAE) to perform a detailed Energy Assessment and Viability Report to outline how they could reduce their energy consumption expenses for their facility in Capel. The client also wished to reduce ongoing increasing costs from their electricity retailer as well as reduce the site’s substantial electricity bills. The brief was to design a PV system that matched the load profile of the client whilst minimising the amount of export power. It was determined that a 100 kW solar energy system was the best fit for the site. Due to the nature of the location, a tilted roof-mounted system was deemed the most suitable design option.

Solution

The 100kW solar energy system at Capel Farms was built in an existing shed.  The protection system installed for the site monitors the grid and provides user control via wireless communications. This was deemed to be the best option as the point of attachment was over 300 metres from the PV plant, thus eliminating any need for trenching of multiple primary roads.

WAAE also used the installed PV inverters to fix the power factor for the whole site during the day and at night. One item of interest that was implemented at Capel Farms was a third party instantaneous log in site, where the client can monitor the load/ generation and power factor on the same screen, enabling them to remotely turn on water stations depending on the PV output. This site is now in control of their energy consumption and can make decisions internally to suit their business needs.

reduced their electricity consumption from the grid by 31% and reduced their electricity costs by 41%.