60 kW Hybrid Solar System – Bryanston Bible Church Case Study
How a 60 kW Hybrid Solar System Helped Bryanston Bible Church Cut Costs and Keep the Power On
When you’re running a busy site with regular activities and regular power outages, relying on a generator can quickly become an expensive way to survive, not a sustainable way to operate.
Bryanston Bible Church faced exactly that situation.
To help ensure the continuation of their ministry operations due to the high costs of running a generator with constant load shedding at the time, they commissioned Crown Technologies to install a commercial Hybrid Solar Power System at their campus in Bryanston, Gauteng.
On 1 October 2024, a 60 kW 3-phase high power hybrid solar system was commissioned for commercial use on their site.
Project Overview: From Generator Dependence to Hybrid Solar
Bryanston Bible Church commissioned Crown Technologies to install a hybrid solar power system so that their ministry operations could continue even under load shedding, power outages and difficult weather conditions.
We installed a 60 kW 3-phase solar system that provided an instantaneous and reliable source of backup power. This configuration has allowed their operations to continue regardless of the weather conditions.
Immediate Cost Savings and Defined ROI
“The system immediately reduced monthly operating expenses by substituting the majority of their electricity usage from the grid with their hybrid solar power system. They even generated solar energy on cloudy days to contribute towards their power requirements. ROI is currently calculated at approximately 5.5 years.”
In other words, for this project:
Monthly operating expenses were immediately reduced.
This was achieved by substituting the majority of their electricity usage from the grid with the hybrid solar power system.
The system still generated solar energy on cloudy days, contributing to their power requirements.
The return on investment is currently calculated at approximately 5.5 years.
Reliability: Four Power Sources in a Defined Order
For organisations that cannot afford interruptions, how the system behaves when the grid fails really matters.
In this project:
“The system was configured to use four sources of uninterrupted power, to ensure their operational reliability, in the following order of preference: 1) Solar 2) Batteries 3) Grid-power and finally 4) Generator backup which catered for any potential emergency interruptions in power supply.”
So the power architecture for Bryanston Bible Church is explicitly set up to:
Use solar as the first preference.
Move to batteries when solar alone is not sufficient.
Draw on grid power where available.
Fall back to generator backup for any potential emergency interruptions in supply.
This configuration is aimed at ensuring operational reliability by defining a clear order of preference across all four available sources.
Silent Operation: A Better Environment for People and Neighbours
Generators keep the lights on, but they’re loud. For a church with Sunday services starting at 8:30am and mid-week activities, that matters.
On this project, Sean Prohn, Marketing Director at Crown Technologies, notes:
“Unlike the generator their solar system is a silent source of power which contributes to the overall wellbeing of the staff in their workplace and the church congregants during Sunday services, youth groups and mid-week Bible studies and neighbouring homes.”
So, in this case:
The solar system is a silent source of power, in contrast to the generator, and allows the church to operate at any time!
That silence contributes to the overall wellbeing of staff in their workplace.
It also supports church congregants during Sunday services, youth groups and mid-week Bible studies, as well as neighbouring homes.
Sustainable Solution: The Cleanest Source of Power on Site
For Bryanston Bible Church, the hybrid solar system is not only about cost and reliability, but also about environmental impact.
“The solar system was by far their cleanest source of power also having the lowest environmental impact of all their available options. This allowed Bryanston Bible Church to contribute to the overall goal to reduce their global carbon-emission footprint.”
Key Take Aways:
The solar system is described as by far their cleanest source of power.
It has the lowest environmental impact of all their available options.
It allowed the church to contribute to the overall goal to reduce the group’s global carbon-emission footprint.
System Specs at a Glance
For decision-makers who want to know exactly what was installed, the technical specification for the Bryanston Bible Church project includes:
System type: FoxESS 3-Phase High Power Hybrid Solar
System size: 60 kW
Location: Bryanston, Gauteng
Application: Commercial Use
Major components
Inverters:
2 × FoxEss Titanium 30 kW
Panel array:
56 × 565 W JolyWood N-Type Glass on Glass Bifacial
Battery storage:
6 × 10.4 kWh High Voltage Li-Ion
Electricians works
Electrical engineers’ certification
Solar best practice surge protection required for SSEG applications and insurers
Grid and generator integration
Backup grid power: Yes – grid-tied
Emergency backup generator: Yes – integrated via wireless
Estimated production
Estimated annual solar production: 52,70 MW hours
Installation timeline
Installation timeframe: 24 business days
Guarantees
Labour: 12 months
Solar panels – performance: 25-year performance guarantee at 80%
Solar panel defects: 12-year manufacturing defect guarantee
Inverters: 10-year guarantee with online registration
Batteries: 10 years / 4000 cycles
These guarantees sit alongside the calculated ROI of approximately 5.5 years and the specification of the equipment listed above.
What This Case Study Shows
This case study shows a commercial hybrid solar power system where:
A FoxESS 60 kW 3-phase high power hybrid solar installation in Bryanston, Gauteng
Immediately reduced monthly operating expenses by substituting most grid usage with solar
Has an ROI currently calculated at approximately 5.5 years
Uses four sources of uninterrupted power—solar, batteries, grid power and generator—in a defined order of preference to support operational reliability
Provides a silent source of power that supports staff, congregants and neighbouring homes
Is described as their cleanest source of power, with the lowest environmental impact of their options, helping to reduce the group’s global carbon-emission footprint
Was delivered with defined labour, panel, inverter and battery guarantees
And was installed within 24 business days
If your organisation is dealing with high generator costs, constant load shedding, concern for staff and neighbours, and a desire to reduce operating expenses and environmental impact, this is an example of how a documented FoxESS 60 kW hybrid solar project has addressed those realities on a commercial site.
