Hunter Douglas

Hunter Douglas installed a 800kW rooftop array to combat rising energy prices and reduce their reliance on the grid.

 

 

The Hunter Douglas group, a multinational now based in the Netherlands, generates $3.2 billion annually in revenue. Its local arm is the largest supplier of window furnishings in this country and is best known for its Luxaflex window fashions.

 

The need to mitigate rising electricity prices was the driver behind the extensive array at Rydalmere, according to Tony Politis, its managing director for Australia and New Zealand.

 

"This installation is notable for the cutting edge technology that we have chosen, and its cost effectiveness which will see it pay back the investment in a little over four years," he said.

 

On the technical side, the 800 kW system represents the largest installation of Sunpower P19 panels in the world, with 2080 panels. It is the first rooftop installation of a new kind of inverter, the SMA Core 1.

 

The array is expected to deliver 23 per cent of the total power use at the Rydalmere site, which Hunter Douglas Australia has owned since 1953.

 

"Solar is now delivering consistently lower costs for businesses while conventional generation is only making their costs soar," said Huon Hoogesteger, founder of Smart Commercial Solar, which designed and installed the system at Rydalmere.