Tienda Llobet
Costa Rica Solar Solutions is proud to present the largest commercial solar system in Costa Rica to date (as of August 1, 2014)! Llobet clothing store in Alajuela is the first commercial department store to go green with a 55kW, SolarEdge 220 panel solar system. Click here if you would like to see the monitoring of this system.
Tienda Llobet has more than 80 years of professionalism, being the premiere department store in the country. Their solar initiative was a landmark movement for clean energy in Costa Rica.
System Design
- 6 SolarEdge 9 k Inverters
- 110 Power Optimizers
- 220 Jinly 250 Watt Solar Panels
- SnapNrack Mounting System
Tienda Llobet – Latest Information
Last update on July 6, 2015
- Production: 73.85 MWh (which is 738,500 kWh or powering 2,110 homes 350 kWh).
- Savings: $21,279.62 or ₡11,349,485 (based on .30 cents per kWh or ₡160.01 per kWh)
- CO2 Emissions Saved: 63,768.47 lb
- Equivalent Trees Planted: 96.75 Trees
- Light Bulbs Powered: 223,800.92 for 1 day
- Maintenance 1 Year: $0 (system under warranty for 25 years)
- Projected Return of Investment: 5 Years, 2 Months
- Designed to Offset: 45% of Llobet energy$ 21,279.62 o ₡ 11.349.485 (basado en .30 centavos de dólar por kWh o ₡ 160,01 por kWh)
Myths
- Solar Energy is not a viable option because of cloud coverage!
- Solar Energy is not a good investment unless you are selling back to the grid!
- Solar Energy is too expensive!
Yearly Production
One of the most common questions is “What happens when a cloud goes by?” The amount of energy produced will depend on direct and indirect sunlight, and how much precipitation is in the clouds. What ultimately matters most is not hourly production, but the sum of production over the entire year.
Daily Production
Notice when the system starts to produce and when it ends production! Even when the system peaks at around 12 Noon, the system is producing until 5 PM.
Compare información SolarGIS
(to determine the solar hours) to the yearly production from the system. Below, you will find the graphs following a similar pattern.
The Best and Worst Months!
The highest production was almost 9 MWh in March 2015 producing 8,980 kWh. The lowest production month was August 2014 producing 5,530 kWh or 5.5 MWh.
Yearly Production from August 1, 2014 to July 6, 2015
End of the Month
Tienda Llobet had many reasons why they wanted to install solar energy on their roof. Social responsibility, environmental clean energy and lowering the cost of their carbon footprint. One of the important reasons was also to lower their monthly bill with a reasonable return of investment.
The system was designed to offset 45% of their energy, in many cases system produced better than expected because of the higher radiation of solar in 2015.
One of the most common myths is that “Solar Energy is not a good investment unless you are selling back to the grid! ” As you will see in the examples below of the billing that Tienda Llobet has been enjoying a substantial amount of savings, under the past ICE pilot program. If they were under the current ARESEP tarrifs instead of paying 30 cents per kWh they would be paying 5 cents. Which would you like to pay? 5 cents or 30 cents per kWh?
