What were the commercial considerations for the solar power system at the Beechworth Gaol?

The Beechworth Gaol, a historically significant location, presented a unique challenge when it came to installing solar panels. The commercial considerations were specific, with high-quality warranties being a must for the tender. The 30-kilowatt system was selected to stay under the AusNet services regulations, and the payback period is estimated to be around three years.

Indigo Power Group instigated the inquiry, and 89 panels were fitted on the selected roof section for the project. Longevity and safety requirements were considered while installing the system. The Beechworth Gaol's usage varies due to different tenants coming in and out, but the installation of the system is expected to provide significant returns in the long run.

Commercially, obviously it's a large building that uses a lot of power. The usage varies a lot, and then there was of course the Heritage Victoria to accommodate as well. So we had to make sure the location and positioning of the panels met the requirements, so that there was no visibility from the street. Here at the Beechworth Gaol we've fitted 89 panels up on the section of roof that was selected. Used the 335 watt to just get on the 30 kilowatt size. The commercial considerations for the tender were quite specific, high quality warranties, so the 25 year warranty was a big tick on the box. Yeah, the longevity, not having to worry about possible replacements in 10 years time sort of thing. So the longer the last of the system, the better the return on long-term as well. And then obviously there's the installation side of things to make sure that all the safety requirements were done.

Basically the Indigo Power Group were the ones to instigate the inquiry with us, and they had pretty well an idea of what they wanted to do size wise. The 30 kilowatt system was selected because of the sizing to stay under the AusNet services regulations, before extra grid protection is required, and the necessity to go bigger really wasn't there at the present time anyway. The Beechworth Gaol's payback should be somewhere around the three year term. The usage was a little bit mixed, because there's different tenants coming in and out of the property as well, so that may get a bit lesser over time.