Thursday, January 9, 2025
Infrastructure and TechnologyLatestNews

Spirit Motor Group installs solar plant

Irish automotive distributor and retailer, The Spirit Motor Group, has announced the installation of a solar plant at its flagship Jaguar Land Rover showroom in Dublin.

The OHM Group’s retail division installed the DC-optimised rooftop solar system, which is powered by SolarEdge, to provide clean power to the showromm and a newly-built electric vehicle preparation centre on the same site.

The 470-panel solar system is expected to generate around 160MWh of electricity each year, and is forecast to offset approximately 50% off the site’s high energy use, saving more than €50,000 annually. Payback is expected in less than three years, it said.

The solar plant at the Dublin facility comprises two separate arrays: 260 modules are installed on the Jaguar Land Rover showroom and a further 210 modules are sited on the new EV preparation centre workshop.

Rapid payback was achieved using SolarEdge’s DC-optimised inverter technology with the system using power optimizers attached to each pair of solar modules to maximise energy production by overcoming issues such as soiling, shading and module mismatch that can limit production in non-optimised systems. The optimizers also allow the monitoring system to provide highly-granular data on module and system performance.

A live feed from the SolarEdge monitoring platform has also been installed enabling visitors to see how much energy is being generated by the system on the Jaguar Land Rover showroom – as well as the associated carbon offset.

Gerard O’Farrell, Managing Director of Car Division at OHM Group, said:

“With the motor industry transitioning from ICE to electric vehicles, our business needs have evolved. Our energy usage has gone up by 50% in the last two years alone, and we expect this increase to continue.

“Installing solar systems will not only support our increased electricity requirements for EV charging but also underscores our commitment to sustainability. Through this project we’re hoping to set a new standard in the automotive industry.”

Image courtesy of The Spirit Motor Group

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