Linkbuild’s Solar PV System Installation
As a solar EPCC, we spend a lot of time advocating the benefits of solar to our clients. While it is undoubtedly true that solar power is, and will continue to, play a key role in Malaysia’s transition towards net zero, we realise that the most effective way to promote this truth is to put our money where our mouth is!
To that extent, we are proud to announce that we successfully installed and commissioned our very own 52.8 kWp solar PV system for our office and warehouse last month! This system will enable us to save almost 100% of our electricity bills and bring us another step closer towards achieving our company’s net zero goals!
Installing Our Solar PV System
Once our materials arrived on-site, our team worked tirelessly to ensure that we were able to install, test and commission the entire solar system all within the span of less than 1 week (even allowing for 1.5 days of rainy weather!). The team was split into two groups for maximum efficiency, with one in charge of the solar panels, inverter and earthing installation and the other in charge of all the wiring, trunking and cable termination work.
Our solar system is equipped with 96 pieces of 550W solar panels from Trina Solar, which is one of the top solar panel manufacturers worldwide, as well as a 40kW inverter from Huawei, which is the global market leader for solar inverters. Both of these key solar materials are Tier-1 rated and MyHijau certified, which qualifies us for the generous tax incentives that the government provides for solar installations.
For performance monitoring purposes, we have invested in a Huawei Smartlogger 3000A as well as a PVMet75 weather station. These together provide us with detailed information on our solar power generation and electricity consumption statistics. Additionally, we will also be able to obtain detailed information on irradiance and performance efficiency of our solar panels.
Cost savings – $ matters!
With the completion of our solar system installation, we will now be able to save close to 100% of our monthly electricity bills. Furthermore, this will enable us to free up funds to further invest in and install Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in due course. We are only a month in, but we have already massively reduced our TNB bill by almost RM2,000 and are only paying the token minimum now!
Under SEDA’s Net-Energy Metering (NEM) scheme, any excess electricity generated from the solar system will be sold back to TNB. The sellback is automatically done through our bi-directional meter, which helps to offset our electricity consumption during evenings and nights when our solar system is inactive. Even though our office is closed on both Saturdays and Sundays, our solar system will still be generating electricity, which is sold back to the grid to offset our electricity consumption during the working week.
In addition to the savings on our monthly electricity bill, we will be able to save a further 48% off the cost of our solar system thanks to generous green tax incentives from the government. These tax incentives are in the form of MIDA’s Green Investment Tax Allowance (GITA) and Capital Allowance (CA), both of which we have talked about in greater detail here.
Overall, thanks to NEM and the tax incentives mentioned above, we have managed to achieve a Return On Investment (ROI) for our solar system of over 30%. In other words, we will be able to recoup the cost of our solar system in just under three years! More importantly, we would be saving around 61 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. This is equivalent to 141 barrels of oil consumed.
Now that is something to be proud of!
Special thanks goes to Suncatcher Sdn Bhd our solar partners and SEDA-registered company based in Kuala Lumpur, for their technical assistance and input to ensure a smooth and successful solar installation process. Do check out their website, especially if you are based in the Klang Valley!
If you would like to explore installing a solar PV system for your commercial lot, whether it is an office, factory or warehouse, please feel free to reach out for a free consultation. Our office and newly-installed solar system are also open for viewing – no strings attached!