Solar case study – Bidfood Dandenong (VIC)

When it comes to saving money, commercial solar installation is an easy decision to make.

As part of BidFood’s ongoing efforts to minimise energy consumption and reduce energy costs across it’s nationwide network of facilities, Pacific Solar was contracted by Bidfood to help out at their Dandenong cold storage facility.
Our mission? To bring down energy costs.
Located in Dandenong on Melbourne’s south-east fringes, Bidfood Dandenong is a cold storage facility, receiving and storing perishable food items for distribution across Victoria.

Needless to say, this is an energy-intensive operation.

Leveraging the power of 532 high-quality LG solar panels, Pacific Solar has helped Bidfood cover 40% of their total energy load, providing stable and long-lasting savings.

For facilities like Bidfood Dandenong that operate power-hungry commercial refrigerators 24/7, this represents a substantial savings!

Site specifics

No. of panels: 532 x LG 400w NeON2 solar panels
System size: 212.8kW
Inverter: 7 x Fronius Symo 27.0-3 inverter
Extras: N/A
3 phase power: yes

Predicted ROI & savings

Predicted ROI: 22.6%
Reduction in power bill: $79,000 in year 1, $1.6M in 25 years
System payback period: 4.6 years

How commercial solar has helped Bidfood Dandenong

Cold storage and refrigeration systems are an integral part of any food distribution service – they’re also real energy hogs.

And as one of the largest wholesale distributors of food products and other fresh produce in Australia, refrigeration and cold storage accounts for a sizeable portion of Bidfoods’ facilities.

Commercial solar installation in Melbourne courtesy of Pacific Solar provides a cost-effective and efficient solution to Bidfood’s energy requirements, helping sustain their cold-storage facility in Dandenong while covering 37.6% of total site energy load.

With 532 individual LG solar panels lining the facility’s roof, Bidfood Dandenong stands to make a substantial savings. This first year alone, they’re predicted to save $80,000 – over the 25 year life of their solar system, they’re predicted to save $1.6 million.

We predict Bidfoods Dandenong will make back the cost of installation in as little as 4.6 years – a blisteringly fast amount of time when you consider that LG solar panels are rated to last a whopping 25 years.

Why choose Pacific Solar for commercial solar installation in Melbourne?

Pacific Solar is Bidfood’s commercial solar installer of choice. We’ve been engaged to work on multiple Bidfood sites, including elsewhere in Victoria and parts of Queensland.

Unlike many other solar installers, Pacific Solar is an authorised LG Solar Platinum Partner – one of only a dozen in Australia.

This certifies that we’re among the best at what we do!

Our team doesn’t just bolt solar panels to your roof – using our wealth of experience and specialised training, Pacific Solar performs in-depth system design to ensure your solar system is tailored for your site and requirements.

At Bidfood Dandenong for example, the site had a north-south roof orientation. When installing solar panels, we have to carefully position panels facing North on tilt frames so that there is greater spacings on the southern portion of the roof further, in order to ensure that rows of panels don’t overshadow rows behind.

Some other considerations that go into system design include: