Paget Service Station has reduced its Belco bill by more than a third since switching on its solar panel installation four months ago.

The panels, which were installed by Bermuda Alternate Energy Ltd, solar division of the BAC Group of Companies, have generated electricity worth $3,200.

The Middle Road location includes two sibling businesses, Paget Service Station Ltd and Bermuda Pump Sales Ltd, both of which share the power produced by the solar panels.

Chris Mitchell, the general manager, said the station’s monthly Belco bill had fallen by 34 per cent since the panels started operating.

“I am stunned by how 30 panels tacked on the roof of our building has impacted our electricity bill,” Mr Mitchell said.

“I never realised that so much energy was pouring down from 93 million miles away!”

Nick Duffy, divisional manager at BAE, said: “Unlike traditional PV modules, which only generate power from the front face of the cells, bifacial modules generate power from both sides of the cells.

“So sunlight that misses the front face can be reflected back onto the rear face to produce additional power.

“To maximise the ‘bifacial effect’ the PV modules are raised from the roof surface to allow the maximum penetration of sunlight and reflection behind the solar modules.”

In a statement, BAE said a custom-raised mounting mechanism was designed to lift the bifacial modules above the roof and provide a more favourable southerly tilt, because the service station roof is almost flat with a very gentle angle to the north.

By doing this, the company was able to increase production by maximising the annual exposure to sunlight.

The solar array for the 9.3-kilowatt system has also been cleverly angled to ensure that rainwater is directed back towards the centre of the roof, rather than the edge, which will also improve the rainwater catch for the service station.

The power output from each LG module is independently controlled using 320-watt Power Optimisers made by SolarEdge, which allow the full power potential of the 310-watt modules to be achieved.

Mr Duffy said: “The beauty of commercial installations is that a business’s maximum electricity demand is the same as the solar installation’s maximum production, because both are running at maximum between the hours of 9am and 6pm.

“So it makes total sense for businesses of all sizes to explore the use of solar power to provide electricity for their facilities.”

For more information, contact Mr Duffy at BAE at nduffy@bac.bm or by phone at 297-3639