| 72.8kW Solar Array | 89,846kWh Year 1 Generation | -5 Yrs Payback | $18,931 Year 1 Savings |
Project Overview
Industrial solar NZ installations are helping large property owners cut significant operating costs, and PFI’s site at 12 Southpark Place, Penrose, Auckland is a striking example of what’s achievable at scale. Facing an annual electricity bill of around $29,990, PFI worked with Future Energy to design a 72.8kW solar array, one of Future Energy’s larger commercial installations, projected to produce an estimated 89,846kWh in its first year. The system is expected to cut the site’s annual power bill to roughly $11,060, delivering $18,931 in savings in year one alone, with the investment paying for itself in around 5 years.
The Challenge
Large industrial sites carry substantial daytime power loads, and as a property investor with a portfolio of industrial assets, PFI needed a system sized to genuinely match that scale rather than a smaller token installation. The Southpark Place site’s roof space made a large array possible, but the real challenge was sizing the system against actual consumption patterns so the investment case stacked up, balancing a big enough array to meaningfully offset grid costs against the practicalities of self consumption and export value on a site of this size.
The System
Solar Array – 112 Longi Panels at 72.8kW
The system uses 112 x Longi LR7 72HVD 650M solar panels for a combined array output of 72.8kW. The panels come with a 15 year product warranty, with performance guaranteed to 88.9%, plus a 30 year linear performance warranty, giving PFI long term certainty over the system’s output across its investment horizon.
Sungrow SG50CX Inverter
A single Sungrow SG50CX inverter, rated at 50kW total AC continuous power, converts the array’s DC output for use on site and export to the grid. With up to 5 MPPTs and a maximum efficiency of 98.7%, the inverter is built for exactly this kind of large scale commercial deployment. It carries a 10 year product warranty.
No Battery Storage
This installation is solar only, with no battery storage included. At 72.8kW, the array was sized to maximise self consumption and export value across the site’s daytime operating hours, with 48.1% of total energy use now solar powered and the remainder still drawn from the grid. Battery storage could be considered in future if the site’s load profile or tariff structure changes.
The Results
- 72.8kW solar array installed across 112 panels, one of Future Energy’s largest commercial installations to date
- Estimated 89,846kWh generated in year one, cutting the annual power bill from around $29,990 to roughly $11,060
- Year 1 savings of $18,931, with the investment paying for itself in around 5 years
- 48.1% of total site energy use now solar powered, with 51.9% still supplied by the grid
- 11.1 tonnes of CO2 e avoided annually, equivalent to 60.2 fewer fossil fuel cars driven a year or 4,533 trees grown over 10 years
- A net cost of solar power of just $0.05 per kWh, well below the site’s grid rate of $0.28 per kWh
A big roof, put to serious work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can a large industrial solar system save on electricity bills in NZ?
Based on PFI’s Penrose installation, a 72.8kW industrial scale system can save a large commercial site close to $19,000 in its first year, with savings compounding as electricity prices rise. Over a 25 year system life, accumulated savings are projected to reach well into six figures.
How is a large scale commercial solar system like PFI’s sized?
Future Energy models the site’s real consumption data and available roof space to determine the array size that delivers the strongest return, rather than simply maximising panel count. For PFI’s Southpark Place site, that meant a 72.8kW array paired with a 50kW inverter, balanced against the property’s actual daytime energy use.
How long does a 70kW plus solar installation take to pay for itself?
PFI’s 72.8kW system is projected to pay for itself in around 5 years, based on year one savings of $18,931 against the capital cost of the installation. After that, the system continues delivering savings for the remainder of its 25 to 30 year lifespan.
What warranties come with an industrial solar installation?
This installation includes a 15 year product warranty on the Longi solar panels, with performance guaranteed to 88.9%, plus a 30 year linear performance warranty, and a 10 year product warranty on the Sungrow inverter.
Managing a large commercial or industrial property with high power costs? Future Energy designs industrial solar NZ systems sized to your site’s real consumption data, from single installations through to portfolio wide rollouts. Get in touch for a free feasibility assessment.
