The Archive Beer Boutique

Nestled in the vibrant heart of Brisbane’s West End, the Archive Beer Boutique sought to diminish its commercial carbon footprint and simultaneously streamline overhead costs. 

The solution was clear, given the building’s prime position and flat, viable roof space; the business should leverage solar energy.

The Archive Beer Boutique’s director reached out to Springers Solar to request an analysis of their energy consumption and provide a solution that would offset as much of their usage as possible. Aidan, a Springers Solar expert consultant, worked closely with The Archive to review their electricity bills and determine a plan forward. 

As a hospitality business, The Archive Beer Boutique uses a substantial amount of power to run kitchens and cool rooms, freezers, lighting, music, temperature control, and POS systems. Arcade machines also furnish the interior of the multi-faceted facility, consuming a significant amount of energy when turned on for the 12 hours the bar is open to the public.  

When the Archive’s leadership team first contacted Springers in April 2023, they had a monthly electricity bill of approximately $10,000. Aidan helped the team identify ways the business could start saving money from the get-go with energy efficient practices, including switching off appliances when not required, installing LED lighting, and being more mindful with their energy consumption overall. 

By integrating these small practices into their everyday routine, the Archive was able to shave off approximately $1,500 off their monthly electricity bill while the solar system was in the design phase. 

The Archive has a flat, tin roof that was ideal for solar panel installation. To maximise as much of the roof as possible, an east-west tilt system was installed using Clenergy ComT racking. 230 Trina Solar 430W Vertex S+ dual glass solar panels were installed in this herringbone design for maximum energy production in the limited space. The panels’ smaller size and powerful rating was ideal for this installation as many assets occupy the roof, meaning that a small panel enabled our team to fit more on the roof to still achieve a high level of production.

A 110kW Sungrow Commercial Inverter was installed for its reliability and monitoring capabilities, enabling the Archive Hotel to easily track its solar production and energy consumption from the iSolarCloud monitoring portal.

The design resulted in a 100kW system which is estimated to produce 146mWh per annum, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 31% every year. 

Electricity bills are estimated to fall by a further 20%, resulting in a payback period of four years before The Archive can begin to pocket the savings and invest in what matters to the business. With industry-leading warranties protecting the system for up to 30 years, this installation will be generating substantial savings for the business long-term.