The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A well-known building materials supplier’s enthusiasm for its solar photo voltaic (PV) system, which has slashed energy costs by up to two-thirds, “doubled” after it survived Hurricane Matthew intact.

Mark Roberts, principal of FYP, Builder’s Mall and Tile King, told Tribune Business that his system survived the Category Three/Four storm “in top shape”, and would have allowed him to run his Wulff Road business entirely off renewable energy in Matthew’s aftermath.

“It’s one thing for it to work, and one thing for it not to get broken,” Mr Roberts told Tribune Business. “It was like: ‘Man, I have to clean-up solar panels in the front yard and it’ll be down for six months’.

“I came back and it was in top shape. I love it. That’s when my enthusiasm for the system doubled. During the hurricane I was: ‘Uh oh.’ But there was not one loose wire, not one panel out of place.

“I turned on one of the inverters to see if it could work, and I could have run the building on solar power while we waited for BEC. Especially after the hurricane I was like: Damn, I love this thing.”

Mr Roberts said the solar PV system, which occupies 40 per cent of the space on FYP’s roof, had proven invaluable since it was installed two-and-half years ago.

Despite the high six-figure outlay, he told this newspaper: “I would do it again five times’ over.

“My electricity bills are down by an average of between 48 per cent to 67 per cent. And for the last 20 days the weather has been wonderful, so I’m hoping for a major reduction in my energy bills.”

Mr Roberts said the solar PV system would likely pay for itself within 10 years, a slight reduction on the anticipated return on investment (ROI).

He had forecast a five-seven year payback period, but explained that the longer duration was due to internal issues rather than problems with the renewable system.

FYP’s building was drawing an unexpected 30 kilowatts (kW) of power every night, he explained, adding $250,000 to its energy costs annually due to a connection that should not be in place and which has yet to be tracked down.

“We’ve not had a glitch yet,” Mr Roberts told Tribune Business. “I’d been looking at solar for five years, and one of the things I like is that when you put solar panels on the roof, they act almost like an umbrella against the sun.

“The heat transfers in here despite the insulation. I also wanted solar because I wanted to save some money, and thought it would be cool to go green. It’s a small amount we can do for the environment, and gives a certain warm and fuzzy feeling.”

The system, designed and engineered by German-headquartered company, Euro-Consult Network, is one of the first business-scale solar PV systems to be installed in the Bahamas.

Mark Popovic, the project manager for the FYP installation, told Tribune Business that “from scratch to the last screw finish” it had taken around six months to design, engineer, test and install.

The FYP system is EuroConsult’s Bahamas prototype, and Mr Popovic explained that this nation’s climate - humid weather and salt air, combined with the threat of hurricanes - presented unique design and engineering challenges.

He added that extensive wind tunnel and a battery of other climate-related tests were conducted before the system arrived in the Bahamas, where it was installed by a Bahamian team working under the supervision of EuroConsult.

Mr Popovic said there are no water leaks despite FYP’s solar PV system being fastened to the roof via 900 holes, which help to secure the 700 panels.

While able to produce 160-170 kW of electricity, FYP’s system typically generates between 120-140 kW. It is configured to ensure no solar energy goes back to the Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) grid, and regulates/merges the latter’s energy supply with its own.

“We were the first of this size in the Bahamas,” Mr Roberts told Tribune Business of his solar PV system. “I’ve made better investments, but I’ve made worse investments, too, and a 10-year payback is not bad at all.

“It makes all the sense in the world from a number of fronts. We’re making a positive contribution to the environment, that’s a major feeling for me. I love that part, and it does save money.”