A leading logistics and warehousing company has added value to its business in several ways since installing solar systems to power its Sydney and Melbourne transport terminals.
Alfred Colvin, chief executive officer of CDM Logistics, a consortium of five regional carriers that provides logistics and warehousing facilities Australia-wide, said commercial solar power was a smart solution to combat electricity costs whilst adding value to the business.
"Installing a 50 kilowatt system to 11,000 square-metres of roof space at our Sydney terminal and a 50 kilowatt system to 4,000 squares-metres of roof space in Melbourne made economic and environmental sense," Mr Colvin said.
"Economically, there are savings on reduced power bills in the face of electricity price hikes.
"Financially we had anticipated a cost neutral situation for eight years, then free electricity once we owned the system. However, in Melbourne the electricity retailer has already given us a $2,000 credit for the first quarter," he said.
"At the same time, we are mitigating the pending cost of carbon emissions while enhancing our green credentials, which is in-line with CDM's environmental policies.
"But there is also the added value to the buildings themselves," he continued.
"As the financial burden of rising energy bills and carbon pricing looms, energy-saving features that reduce the running cost of a building, like solar power, are increasingly considered a valuable asset to property owners and lessors alike.
"The resale or leasing appeal of our Melbourne warehouse, for example, with a proven track record of significantly reduced power bills and lower running costs will invariably be higher than warehouses in similar locations without solar power."
This value proposition is on the uptake in the commercial business sector in Australia, according to Mark Tuke, chief executive officer of Sun Connect, the commercial solar company responsible for CDM Logistics' commercial solar installations.
"With fossil fuel-generated electricity prices rising and renewable energy grid parity now a reality, we are witnessing a dramatic rise in solar installations throughout Australia's commercial and manufacturing sectors," he said.
By the end of July 2013, Sun Connect had helped more than 80 businesses switch to solar power, reducing their exposure to electricity price hikes and giving them access to government incentives.? "Collectively these businesses' equate to around 2MW of solar energy-generating capacity situated on previously unused roof space, creating their own decentralised and environmentally friendly electricity supply."
According to the recently-released Sunwiz and Solar Business Services Report, commercial solar power is on a swift growth curve. Its five-year forecast predicts the Australian photo-voltaic market, which is currently at 2.5GW, will likely grow three-or fourfold by 2017. The report predicts that at the top end in 2014, the commercial solar market could be as high as 350MW, equating commercial solar energy usage equal to the levels of the entire solar market in Australia in 2010.