Using Your Steel Shade Structure to Generate Energy

If you are planning to install a shade structure for your organisation you can save money by making it an energy-generating structure. We can help you to do this by incorporating solar panels in your shade structure design which can provide a return on investment every day of the week.

In this article, we will look at how doing this can help reduce energy costs, decrease your carbon footprint, and enhance your corporate social responsibility. We will also show you what you need to consider when creating energy-generating shade structures.

The Benefits of Energy-Saving Structures

As German politician Margareta Wolf said,

"The use of solar energy offers huge potential for natural resources and climate protection, and for the expansion of renewable energies on the road to a future-oriented energy supply."

The Australian climate is perfectly suited to optimising the use of the sun’s power to produce energy. Annual average sunshine hours in the country range from 2,200 hours in Melbourne to 3,200 hours in Perth. This climate, coupled with the government’s drive to adopt renewable energy measures, means that more businesses and individuals are investing in energy-efficient technology and processes.

You can contribute to the Australian drive to increase the use of solar power by installing solar panels on your shade structure during the design process. Doing this brings you the best of both worlds. You get the shade you need for your organisation and reduce energy bills. These financial savings are one of the benefits you get from using solar panels.

Financial Savings

Installing commercial 10 kW solar panels costs an average of $10,300. However, the total annual savings per year can be as much as $400 per kW. So, you get a good return on your investment. You also increase your energy independence.

We will work with you to ensure you get the best value from your shade structure design. This will allow you to optimise the financial benefits of incorporating solar panels.

Environmental Impact

Protecting the environment is one of the multiple benefits of energy efficiency for your organisation. Climate change is something we all need to be concerned about, and harnessing solar energy allows you to reduce your organisation's greenhouse gas emissions and have a positive impact on the climate change situation.

Other environmental benefits of including solar panels in energy efficiency measures include the following.

• Conserving natural resources and preventing damage to the environment that can be done when extracting fossil fuels.
• Conserving the vast amounts of water used during traditional electricity generation.
• Reducing the number of pollutants produced by traditional power generation methods.
• Making more efficient use of land as solar panels can be installed on several different surfaces without using up any additional ground space.  

Enhanced Corporate Social Responsibility

You may not see using solar panels in your steel shade design as hugely impactful in the grand scheme of things. However, as American historian and playwright Howard Zinn said,

“We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”

In the commercial world, this is what corporate social responsibility (CSR) is about. Any business must pay attention to CSR. So, you will have  CSR policies for your organisation. Such policies cover how you can enhance rather than damage the environment.

By integrating solar panels in your steel shade design, you reduce the risk to the environment. This helps you adhere to your CSR policies. Doing this also positively impacts your brand image, as people see that you use green energy sources.

Planning Considerations

You can see the benefits of incorporating solar panels in your real estate. If you like the idea of reaping these benefits, you are not alone. According to the Clean Energy Regulator, around 3.04 million Australian homes and businesses had a rooftop PV system in place at the end of 2021.

Joining these home and business owners requires careful planning. To help with this, we have listed design considerations for including solar panels in your steel shade structure design below.

• Ensure your shade structure is sturdy enough to support the weight of solar panels. Choosing steel as a material helps with this, and we ensure that all our designs are sufficiently strong.
• Choose the best location to optimise energy-saving potential.
• Select the best mounting for solar panels on your energy-efficient buildings, such as flush, tilt, or pole mountings.
• Consider the wiring of the solar panels and how they integrate into your energy system.
• Ensure that maintenance, cleaning, and inspection of the solar panels are easy to do.
• Check that designs comply with any permit requirements and regulations.
• Implement monitoring of the panels to ensure they work efficiently.
• Ensure the panels are a good fit with the overall design of the structure aesthetically.

Our steel shade design professionals will help you navigate these design considerations, so you get the exceptional finished product you are looking for. Whether you are simply considering potential efficiency improvements to reduce operating costs, have a long-term project you can use this type of system for, or want to know more about this type of energy-saving structure, we would like to hear from you.

To begin the process, express your interest, and we will respond to your request.