Sacred Heart College: Case Study
The Consultation Process
Sacred Heart College is a Catholic co-educational secondary college located in Sorrento, WA, directly opposite Hillarys Boat Harbour. Established in 1967 by the Sister of Our Lady of the Missions, Sacred Heart College has approximately 1400 students in Years 7 to 12, in addition to 170 staff. The College is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year (2016).
In an effort to cut energy costs, Sacred Heart College contacted Infinite Energy in early 2014, beginning a thorough and diligent solar selection process. After almost two years of research, Sacred Heart College chose Infinite Energy as their solar provider due to our analytical approach, as well as our unmatched commercial experience in the WA solar market.
“When we started to consider the whole solar option we needed expert advice and a knowledgeable company that could partner with us, in what can be a detailed and highly complex process,” said Sacred Heart College Business Manager, Steve Martin.
“We also needed a company that would be around for the long term as any major solar panel installation requires a long-term vision. Infinite Energy was the logical fit for us, providing the highly technical data in easy to read and understand formats, and the support and advice throughout our project management process.”
The Solar Solution
After analysing Sacred Heart College’s electricity usage and spend, Infinite Energy recommended the installation of a 94kW solar PV system with real-time grid and solar monitoring.
In June 2016, Infinite Energy installed a brand new 93.6kW solar PV system, in addition to updating and integrating an existing 5kW system that was already on-site. Infinite Energy also installed a grid and solar monitoring system.
The solar PV system boasts an annual production of over 160,000kWh, and will not only offset a significant proportion of the school’s electricity usage, but also protect Sacred Heart College against future energy price rises.
The system is comprised of:
- 360 x WINAICO 260W Panels
- 4 x SMA 20kW inverters
- Integrated solar and grid monitoring
In a year, Sacred Heart College total emission abatement is estimated to be 95 tonnes, or the equivalent of saving 450 trees.
The Solar Results
The diagram below shows the actual energy generation and usage for July 13, 2016. With no cloud cover and a maximum of 18°C, it was a perfect day for solar generation.
The Solar PV System produced 379.42kWh, with a peak production of 60.76kW at around 12:15pm. Production levels will increase significantly in summer, due to more daylight hours.
In total, their solar generation made up 22% of their total energy usage. 41.73kWh of this electricity was exported to the grid, which means Sacred Heart College was able to utilise 89% of their very own solar generation, displacing a considerable amount of electricity that would have previously been bought from the grid.
The Bottom Line
The price of solar power has declined dramatically over the past two years. This, coupled with recent electricity price rises and more flexible finance options has made the case for solar extremely attractive. With Solar as a Service and Solar Leasing, businesses can remain cash flow positive from day one, while still gaining a long life asset.
Solar is an ideal option to reduce energy costs for Sacred Heart College and other schools, as the vast majority of energy usage occurs during daylight hours.
In the first year alone, Sacred Heart College’s solar system is expected to provide approximately $39,000 in savings. While a great bonus, this wasn’t Sacred Hearts primary motivation for installing their solar system, “As an educational institution we prepare young people to be able to confidently enter the big wide world,” said Mr Martin. “As such we feel we have a very real obligation to do our bit in terms of making that world a better place, with reduced carbon emissions and lower consumption of scarce resources.
“Doing this at the same time as enhancing our Science and Humanities Curriculum Study Programs with real time monitoring of power use and efficiency savings, really adds to the experience of being a Sacred Heart student. Of course on top of all that it helps the College manage its significant energy costs, and drive power bills down.”
Find out how much going solar could save your school or business, and request a no obligation quote today.
