Kingspan constructing king-sized solar PV project

Kingspan Energy has commenced construction of what is claimed to be the largest single rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Australia, located at the IKEA Tempe store in NSW.

IKEA is moving to roll out solar PV systems across its stores nationwide, and this will be the largest of its projects. Due to be completed in mid-September, the 990 kWp project will comprise nearly 4000 Yingli polycrystalline solar PV modules, 43 SMA Sunny TriPower inverters and a solar mounting system manufactured by Schletter.

“This new IKEA system will be the Rolls Royce of rooftop solar PV systems when complete,” said Kingspan Energy Commercial and Engineering Manager Cormac Gray. “We have ensured that we are using the very best materials available for what we can only describe as an iconic solar PV installation for Australia.”

Earlier this year, Kingspan Energy completed a 5.8 MWp rooftop solar PV project for Jaguar Land Rover in the UK, utilising the same Yingli polycrystalline PV modules that are being installed at IKEA’s Tempe store. Additionally, SMA’s inverter technology can be found in numerous IKEA PV systems across Europe.

When commissioning is complete, the 8415 m² project will supply over 1,300,000 kWh of electricity to the building, thus displacing over 1500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per annum - the equivalent of taking 306 cars off Australia’s roads.

“IKEA has demonstrated its ambition to be environmentally sustainable through the switch to solar power and we hope this will inspire other businesses to think about how they are addressing their future energy needs,” said Yingli Australia Managing Director Daman Cole. “The implementation of a commercial installation of this scale is a great step forward in demonstrating how solar is good for businesses and a company’s bottom line.”