Commercial Solutions
Hastings Yacht Club – The Challenge
Hastings Yacht Club has a membership of about 250 people. The premises and facilities are also offered to many non-members like a Sailability program for disabled youth, a meeting place for associations like the Peninsular Ship Society, The Hastings Pen Holder Group and the Hastings Mooring Association. With all this activity came a large power bill of over $1500 a quarter equating to more than $6000 a year. For a ‘not for profit’ organisation, this equated to more than 10% of our Membership fees being utilised on power costs alone. The financial outlook was worse still with power prices predicted to rise even further.
The Solution
The Hastings Yacht Club met with Lawrence & Hanson Solar + Solutions to discuss their needs. We needed a solution to reduce power bills, which could be customised to t the space available. Being only metres away from the sea and in a constant corrosive atmosphere exposed to local gale force winds; care needed to be taken when choosing a suitable quality product and a reputable installer.
The solution comprised of 80 individual 250 watt polycrystalline panels mounted on two separate roof proles. The panels were installed in 4 groups of 20 to maximise exposure. Morning sun is collected from the East, Overhead sun is captured midday and sun from the West is captured late into the afternoon. The panels are all supported on DPA medium tilt frames. Two separate 10kw Growatt inverters convert this energy into 3 Phase AC power for immediate use and the surplus sold back into the grid. The design itself, purposely allows the over production of power in the day to offset the cost of power to the club at night.
The Results
Completed in August 2013, in the first 6 months of use, the system has eradicated 100% the power bill to the Yacht Club. Furthermore, it supplied a $500 credit to be used against future (perhaps) winter bills. In October 2013, Greg Hunt, Minister of Environment Officially switched the system on and commended the Yacht Club for its forward-thinking and energy conservation on such a sensitive coastal position.
Testimonial
“Hasting Yacht Club is delighted with the outcome of the Solar Power Installation. I believe that we have set an example of the right thing to do in such a beautiful environment and made a sound long term financial decision that will reap benefits for years to come. We cannot thank Solar+Solutions enough for their professionalism and assistance. The installer that they arranged was fantastic and so easy to work with. I have recommended Solar+Solutions to many other Yacht Clubs and Community Organisations that have similar challenges.”
Malcolm Edwards, Commodore Hastings Yacht Club