In a time full of challenges, both global and local, it is far from easy for entrepreneurs and industrialists to find effective ways to grow the famous “top line”, their company's revenue.
Yet instead of complaining about difficult business conditions, uncertainty and an increasingly unfavourable environment compared with previous years, some have decided that now is exactly the right time to pay special attention to the consumption their business generates.
A simple analysis of input costs, which are unavoidable in every production process, leads to a key conclusion: it is almost impossible to maintain margins and profitability without seriously cutting basic costs, and electricity consumption stands out among them.
At a time when the choice of renewable energy sources, especially solar solutions, keeps growing, choosing the optimal system may not be easy, but one thing is certain: staying sustainable in turbulent times no longer lies in growing revenue, but in cutting costs smartly.
This is exactly the approach, focusing on savings through energy efficiency, that Podrinje Komerc put into practice. After almost a year of detailed analysis, calculations and budget planning for an investment in its own solar power plant, director and owner Ljubiša Žikić made his decision last autumn: it was time to save, and to do it smartly.
Podrinje Komerc is a family company with almost two decades of experience in producing and processing reinforcement steel. Its production process consumed about 60 MWh of electricity per month on average, a cost of around 1.1 million dinars.
Pirke Solar from Belgrade offered a solution consisting of one megawatt of solar panels on the roof of the production hall, installed in three phases. The very first phase, in line with the project plan, brought significant results: electricity savings at the first installation were about 60 percent.
Even better results are expected in the summer months, when the days are longest and solar irradiation is strongest. Savings of almost 80 percent are forecast then, which makes this investment not only sustainable but also exceptionally profitable.
“Is it really realistic that a solar power plant can save me up to 80 percent on my electricity bill?” Ljubiša Žikić wondered while studying the SolarEdge app and the experience of other entrepreneurs across Serbia who had already entered the world of solar energy. It turned out that the quality of the equipment makes a serious difference, regardless of the type or orientation of the roof.
SolarEdge, one of the world's leading brands of inverters and related equipment for solar power plants, created a dedicated solution for the entire Podrinje Komerc project together with Pirke Solar. The goal was clear: to set a new benchmark for the efficiency and profitability of solar power plants in Serbia's industrial sector.
In the first phase, 412 kW of capacity was installed with as many as 356 optimizers, the hallmark of SolarEdge technology. The result followed: in March this year the plant reached a record production of 33.2 MWh, almost a third of the factory's total monthly consumption.
“I can hardly wait for summer,” Žikić said with a smile, while already planning the second and third phases of the solar power plant on the roof of his hall. The goal: further savings, and positioning the company as one of the energy leaders in the industrial sector of Western Serbia.
Source: energetskiportal.rs (in Serbian)
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