Solar and Battery
1Circle’s service for planning, procuring and achieving leading performance from commercial solar systems and battery storage
Purpose
Achieve electricity cost reduction, transition to renewable power, and value for money from solar
Investing in solar to renewably and more cheaply provide electricity is a logical step for Australian building owners, managers and occupants. Where the business case supports it, adding battery storage can extend that value — lifting self-consumption of on-site solar, reducing peak demand charges, strengthening supply resilience, and opening new revenue opportunities.
To ensure solar delivers value, we developed a leading end-to-end service that includes planning, procurement and performance management.
Key points of difference include how Solar Performance:
- captures a property‘s natural potential through the integration of solar in the design and delivery of buildings
- sets realistic and accurate financial and renewable energy forecasts that stakeholders can trust
- ensures generation is maximised
- gains a competitive outcome from the contractor market
- ensures investment is fit-for-purpose through correct system sizing
- assesses where battery storage adds value, and sizes it accordingly
- drives ongoing performance to realise forecasts and ensure value is achieved
Battery
An option to improve returns – when the business case justifies it
Battery storage is not right for every site. Where the numbers stack up, a battery can improve the return on a solar investment by:
- increasing self-consumption of on-site solar rather than exporting at low (to zero) feed-in rates
- reducing peak demand and network demand-charge exposure
- providing resilience and continuity of supply through outages, where the asset warrants it
- opening revenue opportunities through demand response, grid services and wholesale arbitrage
We test the case for battery storage as part of the solar business case — so investment is made only where it is justified, and sized correctly when it is.
Process
Confidently achieves results
Our process delivers results. It involves high attention to detail and a passionate focus on fulfilling expectations.
The process is structured over three stages:
- planning
- procurement
- operational performance
PLAN
Establish solar feasibility and set a business case that stakeholders can trust
- Define the size, location and timing of installation
- Assess and recommend the optimum investment method e.g. direct CAPEX, finance, Power Purchase Agreement, special purpose investment vehicle
- Forecast energy savings and renewable energy benefits using highly accurate and detailed models
- Assess and advise on applicable and optimal rebate strategies including LGC, STC, VEEC
- Assess the case for battery storage — where load profile, tariffs, resilience needs and revenue options justify the investment[
- Prepare the business case that maximises investment and sustainability
- Support stakeholders through review and governance processes
PROCURE
Competitively select a leading contractor and ensure installation excellence
- Apply commercial terms, performance and service level standards from extensive experience
- Manage competitive procurement processes using pre-qualified engineer, procure, construct (EPC) contractors (including battery storage when in scope)
- Rigorously evaluate proposals and designs
- Apply leading practice performance and technical specifications
- Manage the business case to final contractor selection and approval
PERFORM
Rigorously assess and drive improved performance
- Implement operational management roles, responsibilities and targets
- Evaluate contractor reports from operation and maintenance
- Deliver with PV Perform™ performance tracking and reporting
- Co-ordinate impact assessments from building works
- Conduct annual performance agreement reviews with PV Audit™
- Where battery storage is installed, monitor charge and discharge performance, verify demand savings, and track any grid-service revenue
- Identify and plan ongoing system expansion and related works e.g. demand response, export management
Innovations
1Circle heavily invests in continual improvement for our customers
We continually invest in our solar capability to embrace technological developments, the growing maturity of the industry, and manage the inherent complexities of electrical systems.
Our series of advanced tools applied in our Solar Performance service is increasing as we continue to provide a leading commercial solar management service.
Energy Plan™
An award-winning planning and business case decision toolkit
PV Design Guide
Guide for cost effectively integrating solar into new build and refurbishment projects
PPA Perform™
Guidelines to protect client interests when using Power Purchase Agreements (pay-as-you-go) for solar
Solar performance standard
A definition of performance standards that cover all aspects of design, procurement and operational management of solar systems
Weather Stations
We have co-developed with Australia’s leading utility scale solar forecaster (Proa Energy) to provide the ideal weather station for evaluating local solar conditions
PV Perform™
A market-leading performance assessment and tracking service for solar systems
PV Audit™
Our rigorous process for annual performance reviews and initial acquisition of existing systems
Embedded solar
As experts in embedded networks (retail, residential, retirement, industrial), we have commercial, regulatory and practical guides for solar implementation
Experience
A decade of commercial solar delivery
Since 2014 we have been supporting our clients on the evaluation, selection, implementation and ongoing performance management of solar systems.
Our experience covers the range of property sectors including education, commercial, retail, office, and industrial
We partner with consulting engineers and lawyers, and leading specialists including ProaAnalytics (predictive solar forecasting), and various metering specialists.
Largest school solar
Camberwell Grammar School, 888kW, 1GWh pa, multi-building campus deployment
We partnered with School Procure as the energy lead for the complete solar life cycle from concept and feasibility planning, procurement and subsequent performance management.
Retail portfolio
Queensland Investment Corporation | Global Real Estate portfolio
As the lead energy consultant, we have and continue to support QIC across the solar life cycle including concept planning (new build and retrofit), feasibility assessment, commercial evaluation, procurement and performance.
Multi campus
Alice Miller School
Solar and Battery to achieve sustainable resilience
1Circle developed the approach and was the technical lead in the procurement of a combined solar and battery system, sustainably improving the school’s resilience and continuity of supply under higher electricity loads.
Estate development
Parklea, strategic planning and solar incentives for land sales
We developed an ESG strategy and detailed plan on the value of providing solar incentives to customers as part of their land purchase. This was integrated with other aspects of Parklea’s leading customer proposition for new estate home owners