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Commercial solar + EV

Practising what we preach — solar on Sinclair HQ

A 20.4 kW commercial solar array powering three local businesses under one roof — plus a 22 kW EV charger turning surplus sunshine into kilometres for the BYD Shark fleet.

Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration, Guthrie Bowron & Appliance Plus Ōpunake, Taranaki 2026

20.4 kW Solar
22 kW EV charge
~67% Bill cut
~27 MWh Gen / yr
~$25k/yr Energy $

SYSTEM AT A GLANCE

How the energy moves

Solar on the shed → hybrid inverter → battery bank → home and evening loads. Sized for self-use, not just export.

  1. 01

    Commercial array

    20.4 kW · 43 panels

  2. 02

    Sungrow inverter

    SG20RT 20 kW three-phase

  3. 03

    Shop & workshop

    Retail · trade · office loads

  4. 04

    EV charging

    22 kW · BYD Shark fleet

26,999 kWh/yr

Clean generation

Estimated annual output from the HQ arrays

67%

Electricity bill cut

Daytime load matches generation — most kWh stay on-site

$5,300

Power bill savings

Estimated annual electricity cost reduction

$20k

Fleet fuel savings

~$10k/year per BYD Shark × two utes — solar into kilometres

THE BRIEF

The challenge

Never ask customers to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. Sinclair believed so strongly in commercial solar that one of the first major installs went on our own premises — powering Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration, Guthrie Bowron, and Appliance Plus under one roof.

Electricians, refrigeration techs, retail customers, lighting, offices, and workshop kit all run during business hours. Daytime demand is high and consistent. Rising electricity prices made solar an obvious investment — and a live showroom for every customer who walks in.

THE DESIGN

Our solution

We designed a 20.4 kW commercial solar system around how the businesses actually operate — 43 × 475 W Risen N-Type TOPCon panels, a Sungrow SG20RT three-phase inverter, and a 22 kW Sungrow three-phase EV charger.

Because demand sits almost entirely in daylight hours, most generation is consumed on-site rather than exported. The EV charger was one of the biggest wins: two BYD Shark plug-in hybrid utes charge from surplus solar, turning sunshine into kilometres instead of cheap export.

SIZING LOGIC

Why this design?

The array spans two large roof sections for a clean, symmetrical install and strong generation through the working day. Premium Risen TOPCon panels and a Sungrow commercial inverter are built for decades of reliable performance.

The real lesson: solar’s biggest value isn’t always the power bill — it’s replacing other operating costs. Charging EVs from the roof delivers far more value than exporting to the grid.

  • 43 × 475 W Risen N-Type TOPCon solar panels (20.4 kW)
  • Sungrow SG20RT 20 kW three-phase inverter
  • Sungrow 22 kW three-phase EV charger
  • Arrays across two roof sections — maximising available area
  • Monitoring + handover as a living commercial showroom
Street frontage of Appliance Plus, Sinclair Electrical, and Guthrie Bowron in Ōpunake
Three businesses, one roof — Appliance Plus, Sinclair Electrical & Refrigeration, and Guthrie Bowron.

ON SITE

The installation

Installing solar on your own building sets a high standard — customers see it every day. The result is a clean, professional system that doubles as a permanent showroom for Sinclair Solar.

From the street you see three local brands under one roof. From the air you see the arrays earning. At the charger wall you see the fleet plugging into sunshine.

Drone view of multi-array rooftop solar on Sinclair HQ with vans below
43 × Risen 475 W panels across two roof sections — clean layout, strong daytime generation.
BYD Shark ute at Sungrow EV charger with solar arrays visible on the workshop roof
22 kW Sungrow three-phase EV charger — sunshine into kilometres for the BYD Shark fleet.

SITE REALITY

What the site demanded

01

Three businesses, one meter story

Retail, trade paint, and electrical/refrigeration share daytime load — design had to match that profile, not a residential evening peak.

02

Showroom-grade finish

Every detail had to look right: this is the building customers park in front of when they ask about solar.

03

Fleet transition

EV charging had to be first-class — surplus solar becomes kilometres for the BYD Shark utes, not wasted export.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

The numbers, in one place

Spec sheet for the Sinclair HQ solar + EV charging install — capacity, hardware, and key outcomes.

Location
Ōpunake, Taranaki
Industry
Retail & trade
Solar
20.4 kW
Panels
43 × 475 W Risen TOPCon
Inverter
Sungrow SG20RT 20 kW
EV charger
Sungrow 22 kW three-phase
Est. generation
~26,999 kWh/year
Combined savings
~$25,300/year

LOOKING AHEAD

Looking ahead

As more vehicles move to electricity, every kilometre driven on solar improves the return. The HQ install was designed to support that transition — solar, smart EV charging, and electric vehicles working together.

The results

About ~26,999 kWh of clean generation each year, roughly a 67% electricity bill reduction (~$5,300/year), plus ~$20,000 in expected fuel savings across two BYD Sharks — over $25,000 in combined annual energy savings. Proof on our own roof that commercial solar + EV charging pays.

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