Kitchener Public Library Case Study

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Case Study:
Kitchener Public Library opts for Renewables

Project Background

Kitchener Public Library (KPL) serves the city of Kitchener, Ontario. Guelph Solar Mechanical had the honor of partnering with KPL to implement a solar energy system at their newly established Southwest branch, making it the first of six branches to adopt solar energy as part of its energy mix.

This project reflects our shared commitment to sustainability and carbon footprint reduction. It not only helps KPL transition to clean, renewable energy but also sets a strong example for other municipalities aiming to build a greener future.

System & Technology

Guelph Solar Mechanical employed cutting-edge technology and components from globally recognized manufacturers for this project. The proposed system, with a nameplate capacity of 67.9 kW, was designed to maximize rooftop usage and offset a significant portion of the branch’s utility consumption.

Solar Panels

140 Pcs of 485W Half Cut Bi-Facial Hanwa

Qcells Modules

140 Pcs of 485W Half Cut Bi-Facial Hanwa

Qcells Modules

Optimizers

52 SolarEdge optimizers

Grid-Tied Inverters

Generated (1st yr)

2x 24kWac 3-Phase Fronius Inverters.

System Monitoring

Fronius Portal monitoring with Smart

Meter and environmental sensors

Fronius Portal monitoring with Smart

Meter and environmental sensors

Setup Transformer

Generated (1st yr)

480V to 600V Hammond Outdoor Rated

50kVA

480V to 600V Hammond Outdoor Rated

50kVA

Expected Annual Generation (KWh)

80,550

System Operation

The system operates on a net metering basis, supplying real-time solar energy to the facility during daylight hours. This reduces the branch’s reliance on the electrical grid. When excess energy is generated, it is exported to the grid via a bi-directional meter that tracks both imported and exported kilowatt-hours (kWh).

A robust monitoring system enables real-time performance assessment, including:

- DC array and optimizer monitoring

- Inverter performance and energy analytics

- System alarms and alerts

- Weather tracking and graphical reporting

A robust monitoring system enables real-time performance assessment, including:

- DC array and optimizer monitoring

- Inverter performance and energy analytics

- System alarms and alerts

- Weather tracking and graphical reporting

Financial Overview

To estimate the return on investment, the following assumptions were used:

- Utility rate: $0.15/kWh

- Annual utility rate inflation: 2%

- Annual solar generation degradation: 0.6%

- First-year generation: 85,550 kWh

- Inverter replacement: one-time cost over project lifespan

Based on these assumptions, the project is expected to reach payback by year

11, with gross savings of $202,569 over 25 years.

With every investment comes the time required to recover the money spent on the project. For this project, the following assumptions were made to evaluate an approximate payback period

On an average the County would expect to pay $0.15/kWh as their utility rate. We would consider the same for calculating the savings for solar.
We will consider 2% inflation annually for this existing utility rate for a period of 25 years.
0.6% annual degradation in annual energy generation from solar has been considered.
First year annual generation has been considered as 67,710 kWh as shared earlier
One time Inverter replacement has also been considered over the life of the project.

Based on the above assumptions, we have come up with the following chart for the payback analysis. As can be seen, the payback will approximately be in the 12th year of the project whereas the gross savings over the life of the project would be $151,356.11