- Innovative DC-optimised solar system is forecast to produce around 160MWh of energy each year – with potential to offset up to 50% of electricity use and reach over €50,000 savings annually, with payback expected in just three years
- Plans are already in place to install solar systems at eight additional sites
- See video here
8th January 2025 – The Spirit Motor Group, the retail division of OHM Group, a leading automotive distributor and retailer in the Republic of Ireland, today announces the successful installation of a pilot solar plant at its flagship Jaguar Land Rover showroom in Dublin. Representing a strategic move to align with the growing demands of the electric vehicle (EV) retail market, the innovative DC-optimized rooftop solar system [powered by SolarEdge] will provide clean, reliable power to the site’s Jaguar Land Rover showroom and a newly built EV preparation centre located on the same site.
The 470-panel solar system is expected to generate around 160MWh of electricity each year. This is forecasted to offset approximately 50% off the site’s high energy use, saving over €50,000 annually. Payback is expected in less than three years.
OHM Group is an exclusive distributor and retailer of international brands and related aftersales services in the automotive and power solutions markets in Ireland. Its decision to invest in solar followed a sharp rise in the company’s electricity bills.
“With the motor industry transitioning from ICE to electric vehicles, our business needs have evolved. Our energy usage has gone up by 50% in the last two years alone, and we expect this increase to continue,” says Gerard O’Farrell, Managing Director of Car Division at OHM Group. “Installing solar systems will not only support our increased electricity requirements for EV charging but also underscores our commitment to sustainability. Through this project we’re hoping to set a new standard in the automotive industry.”
The solar plant at the Dublin facility comprises two separate arrays: 260 modules are installed on the Jaguar Land Rover showroom and a further 210 modules are sited on the new EV preparation centre workshop.
Key to achieving such a rapid payback period for this project was the company’s decision to use SolarEdge’s DC-optimised inverter technology. The solar system uses Power Optimizers attached to each pair of solar modules to maximise energy production by overcoming issues such as soiling, shading and module mismatch that can limit production in non-optimised systems. The Power Optimizers also allow the monitoring system to provide highly-granular data on module and system performance – enabling OHM Group to track energy production and consumption across the two buildings and multiple EV charging stations in real-time.
To showcase its commitment to sustainability, the company has installed a live feed from the SolarEdge monitoring platform, enabling visitors to see how much energy is being generated by the system on the Jaguar Land Rover showroom, as well as the associated carbon offset.
“As the installation is a pilot for us, before we embark on further solar installations, we wanted to monitor the system closely,” explains O’Farrell. “The SolarEdge solution has advanced inbuilt monitoring which enables us to identify and address any underperforming modules quickly, streamlining maintenance requirements and enabling us to maximise the uptime of the system. We are incredibly pleased with the results we’ve seen so far. During the summer months, daily generation peaked at more than 1MW on occasions and regularly exceeded 800 kW. Based on these results, we have already begun to plan the roll-out of solar systems on eight more of our showrooms, both at our Dublin site and others located throughout the country.”
About SolarEdge
SolarEdge is a global leader in smart energy, delivering innovative commercial and residential solutions that power our lives and drive future progress. Leveraging world-class engineering and worldwide experience, SolarEdge developed a ground-breaking intelligent inverter solution that changed the way power is harvested and managed in photovoltaic (PV) systems. SolarEdge addresses a broad range of smart energy market segments through its PV, storage, EV charging, battery and grid service solutions. SolarEdge is online at www.solaredge.com/uk
For more information on OHM Group, visit www.ohm.ie.
Press Contacts:
Ruth Stevenson, Incus Media
Ruth.Stevenson@incus-media.com
+44 (0) 7501 931 942
Justine Pedrioli, Incus Media
Justine.Pedrioli@incus-media.com
+44 (0) 7443 770 605
