The Challenge
A facility installed 50 kWp rooftop solar expected to cover 15% of annual consumption. Actual self-consumption was only 32% of solar generation — the remaining 68% was exported to the grid at lower rates.
What Became Visible
Real-time solar generation and consumption profiling revealed: (1) Morning production (6am–10am) was 4–5 kW when facility was mostly idle, so most solar was exported. (2) Peak facility consumption (10am–6pm) was 85–110 kW, but at 10am solar was only at 60% capacity (ramping up through day). (3) Equipment with flexible scheduling (water treatment, battery charging, pre-production cooling) was running on fixed schedules, not solar-coordinated times.
What Changed
Load scheduling optimized for solar generation profile. Equipment warm-up and HVAC pre-cooling scheduled for morning solar ramp (6am–10am). Water treatment and equipment charging scheduled for peak solar hours (11am–4pm). Evening loads managed separately.
How it worked: The facility installed a load-control system that received real-time solar forecast and rescheduled flexible loads accordingly. Morning tasks were advanced to 6am–9am (when solar ramped). Battery and equipment charging was scheduled for peak solar midday. This shifted 18 MWh of consumption from grid-only hours to solar generation hours.
Results
of generation
of generation
from solar
higher on-site use vs export rate
Solar value depends on self-consumption. A 50 kW system with 32% self-consumption is half as valuable as the same system with 58% self-consumption. Load matching is critical.
Operational Reality
Most facilities achieve 25–40% solar self-consumption initially. With load optimization, 50–65% is achievable without battery storage.