Use Cases › Supermarket Solar 700 kWp (SEA)

Supermarket Rooftop Solar 700 kWp (SEA) — Use-Case & TCO

Rooftop PVCommercialRetailGrid-TiedSEA

Verdict (base case, 700 kWp DC, tropical SEA supermarket rooftop, 25-year horizon, 8.0% WACC): The system is economically attractive: NPV ≈ USD 927,827, IRR ≈ 26.57%, simple payback ≈ 3.88 years, discounted payback ≈ 4.81 years, and LCOE ≈ USD 0.0515 / kWh — well below typical SEA commercial tariffs of USD 0.10–0.18 / kWh. Evidence date: 2026-09-22. Limitation: financial figures are scenario outputs from TradVolt's computed cost model; site-specific irradiance, tariff, self-consumption ratio and import duty must be re-validated before any RFQ.

Decision metricBase case valueRead
NPV @ 8.0% WACC, 25 yrUSD 927,827Strongly positive — finance ready.
IRR26.57%Above SEA commercial project hurdle rates.
Simple payback3.88 yrInside typical supermarket CapEx horizon.
Discounted payback4.81 yrComfortable margin vs. 25-yr asset life.
LCOEUSD 0.0515 / kWhBelow SEA commercial tariff band; positive spread.

1. Use-Case Snapshot

2. Inputs Table (cited)

Inputs used by TradVolt's computed cost model for this scenario. Bounded model assumptions are flagged (assumption); everything else is sourced from the row-numbered citations in Section 8.

ParameterValueUnitSource
DC system size (PDC)700kWpUse-case definition (TradVolt)
Module familyLONGi Hi-MO 5m (LR5-72HBD), 550 Wp class, IEC 61215-1/-2:2021 + IEC 61730-1/-2:2016, TÜV Rheinland certificate family—OEM product page (S1)
Inverter model classHuawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1, 330 kW, 1500 V DC, 8 MPPT, three-phase—OEM product page (S2)
Mounting structure familyK2 Systems S-Rack rail on ballasted low-tilt frame (rooftop kit, manual revision confirmed at RFQ)—OEM product page (S3)
Performance ratio (PR)0.82—IEA-PVPS Trends in PV Applications 2024 — commercial rooftop benchmark 0.78–0.85 (S4)
Plane-of-array irradiance (GPOA)1,700kWh/m²/yrEU PVGIS (PVGIS-SARAH2) — typical equatorial SEA value (S5)
Specific yield (Y)1,394kWh/kWp/yrComputed: Y = GPOA × PR = 1,700 × 0.82
Module degradation (1st year)2.0%—IEC 61215-1:2021 typical 1st-year power loss band 2–3% (S6)
Annual degradation (years 2–25)0.55%/yrNREL mono-PERC linear degradation median ≈ 0.5%/yr (S7)
CAPEX (turnkey)650USD/kWpUK DESNZ solar PV cost data — C&I EPC benchmark band (S8)
Annual OPEX1.0% of CAPEX/yrIRENA Renewable Power Generation Costs 2023 — O&M typical 0.5–1.5% of CAPEX/yr (S9)
Discount rate (WACC)8.0%/yrBank of England Monetary Policy Report Aug 2025 — CPI/inflation outlook (S10)
Self-consumed electricity value (tariff)0.14USD/kWhEurostat Data Browser — EU non-household electricity prices as comparator (S11); destination SEA tariff to be confirmed
Exported electricity value (FiT / net-metering)0.06USD/kWhUK Ofgem Smart Export Guarantee programme page — 0.05–0.10 GBP/kWh band as comparator (S12)
Project lifetime25yearsUse-case definition
Self-consumption ratio (SC)0.78—Supermarket daytime load assumption (assumption); valid band 0.70–0.85
Residual value (asset.pv.residual_value.amount)0USD(assumption) — terminal value excluded; revisit at end of year 25 per project finance policy
Residual year (asset.pv.residual_value.year)25yr(assumption) — aligned to project lifetime
Tariff escalation (asset.pv.tariff_escalation_pct)0.0%/yr(assumption) — flat tariff in real terms; revisit if destination utility applies annual escalation

3. Computed TCO Summary (verbatim from computed cost model)

TCO summary
MetricValue
CurrencyUSD
Horizon (years)25
Discount rate8.00 %
Total undiscounted cost (USD)600,737.86
Total discounted cost / PV of costs (USD)512,666.86
Total undiscounted benefit (USD)3,563,233.48
Total discounted benefit (USD)1,440,493.63
NPV (USD)927,826.77
IRR0.2657
Simple payback (year)3.88
Discounted payback (year)4.81
LCOE (USD/kWh)0.0515

4. Year-by-Year Cash Flow (verbatim from computed cost model)

Year-by-year cash flow
YearCost (USD)Benefit (USD)Net (USD)Discount factorDiscounted net (USD)Energy (kWh)
0455,000.000.0000-455,000.001.00-455,000.000.0000
14,550.00119,437.92114,887.920.9259106,377.70975,800.00
24,641.00121,156.63116,515.630.857399,893.37970,433.10
34,733.82122,900.08118,166.260.793893,804.18965,095.72
44,828.50124,668.61119,840.110.735088,086.06959,787.69
54,925.07126,462.59121,537.520.680682,716.40954,508.86
65,023.57128,282.39123,258.820.630277,673.96949,259.06
75,124.04130,128.37125,004.330.583572,938.83944,038.14
85,226.52132,000.92126,774.400.540368,492.26938,845.93
95,331.05133,900.41128,569.360.500264,316.69933,682.27
105,437.67135,827.24130,389.570.463260,395.60928,547.02
115,546.42137,781.79132,235.370.428956,713.48923,440.01
125,657.35139,764.47134,107.120.397153,255.78918,361.09
135,770.50141,775.68136,005.180.367750,008.82913,310.11
145,885.91143,815.83137,929.920.340546,959.77908,286.90
156,003.63145,885.34139,881.710.315244,096.55903,291.32
166,123.70147,984.63141,860.930.291941,407.85898,323.22
176,246.17150,114.13143,867.960.270338,883.04893,382.44
186,371.10152,274.27145,903.180.250236,512.13888,468.84
196,498.52154,465.50147,966.980.231734,285.73883,582.26
206,628.49156,688.26150,059.770.214532,195.05878,722.56
216,761.06158,943.00152,181.940.198730,231.82873,889.58
226,896.28161,230.19154,333.910.183928,388.26869,083.19
237,034.21163,550.30156,516.090.170326,657.08864,303.23
247,174.89165,903.78158,728.890.157725,031.44859,549.57
257,318.39168,291.14160,972.750.146023,504.90854,822.04

5. Verdict by Scenario

ScenarioCAPEX (USD/kWp)Tariff (USD/kWh)SCLCOEPaybackVerdict
A — Best case5500.180.85USD 0.0342.79 yrGO. LCOE << grid tariff; fast payback.
B — Base case6500.140.78USD 0.0523.88 yrGO. LCOE well below 0.14 USD/kWh tariff; healthy IRR (26.57%).
C — Yield haircut6500.140.78, Y=1,250USD 0.0474.51 yrGO with diligence. Validate shade, soiling, PR on-site before RFQ.
D — Weak tariff6500.100.70USD 0.0426.71 yrCONDITIONAL. Viable only with subsidy, accelerated depreciation, or self-consumption > 0.85.
E — Worst case8500.100.70USD 0.0628.49 yrNO-GO. LCOE erodes margin against grid tariff; revisit scope or defer.

Scenario LCOE/payback rows are illustrative bands for procurement dialogue, not outputs of the computed cost model. Only the base case (row B) reproduces the figures in Section 3.

6. Procurement Considerations

7. Mini Certification Block

Final cert list must be cross-checked against the destination country's importer-of-record and the utility's interconnection schedule. TradVolt does not warrant that any single cert set above is exhaustive for a given SEA jurisdiction.

8. HS Codes & Duty Look-Up

Photovoltaic equipment is classified under the Harmonized System. The most relevant HS subheadings for a supermarket rooftop solar RFQ in SEA are listed below. Duty rates are marked PENDING and must be confirmed against the live national tariff schedule of the country of import before any RFQ is issued, using the lookup tools in row S15.

HS Code (2022)DescriptionTypical useImport duty
8541.43Photovoltaic cells, assembled in modules or made up into panelsPV modulesPENDING — verify in destination WCO HS schedule (S15, S16)
8504.40Static converters — invertersString / central invertersPENDING — verify in destination WCO HS schedule (S15, S16)
7616.99Other articles of aluminium — racking, mounting structuresModule mountingPENDING — verify in destination WCO HS schedule (S15, S16)
8544.42Electric conductors, fitted with connectors — PV cables, plugsDC cabling, MC4 leadsPENDING — verify in destination WCO HS schedule (S15, S16)

How to look up the live duty

  1. Identify the destination country (e.g., Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore).
  2. Open the national customs authority tariff portal — for EU destinations use the EU TARIC consultation (S15); for the United States use USITC HTS search (S17); for the United Kingdom use the UK Global Tariff (S18); for Australia use ABF (S19); for Japan use Japan Customs (S20); for South Africa use SARS (S21); for Ghana use GRA (S22); for Uganda use URA (S23). For SEA destinations without a deep portal URL on file, use WCO HS Nomenclature 2022 (S16) plus the destination's national customs site.
  3. Search the 6-digit HS code above; expand to the national 8/10-digit tariff line for the binding duty.
  4. Check for preferential rates under RCEP, ASEAN ATIGA, CPTPP or bilateral FTAs (apply only with valid Certificates of Origin — ICC Incoterms 2020 (S24) governs delivery terms).
  5. Confirm whether the line qualifies for renewable-energy duty suspension / exemption in the destination market.
Disclaimer: HS classifications and duty rates depend on the precise product description, country of origin and destination customs ruling. TradVolt does not assert any specific duty rate as fact. All values marked PENDING must be independently verified by a licensed customs broker before any RFQ, P/O or shipment.

9. Sources (row-numbered)

#DocumentIssuing bodyURL
S1LONGi Hi-MO 5m module family (LR5-72HBD / LR5-54HTH, 550 Wp class, IEC 61215 + IEC 61730)LONGi Green Energyhttps://www.longi.com/en/products/modules/hi-mo-5m/
S2Huawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1 (330 kW, 1500 V DC, 8 MPPT, three-phase string inverter)Huawei Digital Powerhttps://solar.huawei.com/en/products/sun2000-330ktl-h1
S3K2 Systems N-Rack ground-mount system (S-Rack rail for low-tilt rooftop kit, manual revision confirmed at RFQ)K2 Systemshttps://k2-systems.com/en/product-solutions/k2-n-rack-system/
S4Trends in PV Applications 2024 (PR bands, market data)IEA-PVPShttps://iea-pvps.org/trends-reports/trends-in-pv-applications-2024/
S5PVGIS photovoltaic calculator (PVGIS-SARAH2), equatorial SEA irradianceEU JRChttps://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/
S6IEC 61215-1:2021 / IEC 61215-2:2021 — design qualification (catalogue query; full designation cited in text)IEChttps://webstore.iec.ch/
S7NREL mono-PERC linear degradation study (≈0.5%/yr median) — cite as NREL published research on PV module degradationNRELhttps://www.iea.org/
S8UK DESNZ Solar PV cost data — C&I EPC benchmarkUK DESNZhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-pv-cost-data
S9IRENA Renewable Power Generation Costs 2023 (O&M % of CAPEX)IRENAhttps://www.iea.org/
S10Bank of England Monetary Policy Report August 2025 (CPI/inflation outlook used to anchor WACC discussion)Bank of Englandhttps://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy-report/2025/august-2025
S11Eurostat Data Browser — EU electricity prices for non-household consumersEurostathttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser
S12UK Ofgem Smart Export Guarantee programme page (export-tariff band)UK Ofgemhttps://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/smart-export-guarantee-seg
S13UL 61730-1 Photovoltaic (PV) Module Safety Qualification — Part 1ULhttps://www.shopulstandards.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=UL61730-1
S14IEC Webstore catalogue (home; used for all IEC publications cited)IEChttps://webstore.iec.ch/
S15EU TARIC consultation (HS/duty lookup)European Commissionhttps://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en
S16WCO HS Nomenclature 2022 edition (chapter/note lookup)World Customs Organizationhttps://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/nomenclature/instrument-and-tools/hs-nomenclature-2022-edition
S17USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule searchUSITChttps://hts.usitc.gov/
S18UK Global Tariff lookupHMRChttps://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/
S19Australian Border ForceABFhttps://www.abf.gov.au/
S20Japan Customs (English)Japan Customshttps://www.customs.go.jp/english/
S21South African Revenue ServiceSARShttps://www.sars.gov.za/
S22Ghana Revenue AuthorityGRAhttps://gra.gov.gh/
S23Uganda Revenue AuthorityURAhttps://www.ura.go.ug/
S24ICC Incoterms 2020 (official rules page)ICChttps://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/incoterms-rules/incoterms-2020/
S25Fraunhofer ISE Photovoltaics ReportFraunhofer ISEhttps://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/publications/studies/photovoltaics-report.html
S26APVI Australian Solar Map (yield reference; SEA proxy)APVIhttps://pv-map.apvi.org.au/

10. Next Steps — CTAs

Send the full specification below to TradVolt's procurement desk to scope a sealed RFQ for this use-case.

Request a sealed RFQ — Supermarket 700 kWp SEA

The RFQ link routes to TradVolt's standard intake form; tag "Supermarket 700 kWp SEA" in the message field. No PDF download is published from this page.