The economics behind PEG® — and beyond the racking
Real project numbers, one proof point, and how CatalystGrid extends the PEG® relationship into system-level DC optimisation and supplier-agnostic BESS integration.
The numbers that open doors
Indicative cost impact of the PEG® platform versus conventional ground-mount and single-axis tracker structures, subject to project-specific validation.
Cullinan-specific illustrative IRR / NPV case
Cullinan Ph1 (62.70 MWac / 82.15 MWp(dc)) + Ph2 (72.60 MWac / 95.08 MWp(dc)) — 135.30 MWac / 177.23 MWp(dc) combined. Traditional tracker vs. Jurchen PEG®, using ACES Renewables' updated Cullinan CAPEX & OPEX pricing (Sept 2026).
| Metric | Without PEG® | With PEG® | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total CAPEX | R1,787.4M / $96.6M | R1,380.6M / $74.6M | ▼ 22.76% |
| Debt (70% gearing) | R1,251.2M | R966.4M | ▼ R284.8M |
| Equity (30% gearing) | R536.2M | R414.2M | ▼ R122.0M |
| Year-1 Revenue | R286.4M | R286.4M | Unchanged |
| Year-1 OPEX | R27.7M | R22.2M | ▼ ≥20% |
| Equity IRR | 22.1% | 32.1% | ▲ +10.0pp |
| Equity NPV @ 14% | R504.0M | R841.8M | ▲ +67.0% |
Where the R406.8M CAPEX saving comes from — Civil Works and Installation Works alone account for over three-quarters of it, led by PEG's foundation-free design and unskilled-labour install crews:
Illustrative model, not a lender financial-close run. Savings are led by faster, lower-labour installation and a simplified mounting structure — not a compromise on module count, warranty or design life (10-year warranty, extendable to 25-year, 25-year design life, SANS-verified structural & corrosion calculations). P50 energy 301.46 GWh/yr (Jurchen PVsyst, Cullinan combined at 130 MWac grid cap), degrading 0.55%/yr; PPA tariff R0.95/kWh escalating 5.5%/yr; 70/30 debt/equity gearing; 12% cost of debt, 15-yr amortizing tenor; 27% tax; 20-yr straight-line depreciation; 25-yr project life; 14% equity discount rate for NPV; R18.50/USD. CAPEX/OPEX per ACES Renewables' pricing model and Jurchen's written OPEX undertaking — tariff, debt and tax terms to be confirmed by ACES and lenders.
Download the Cullinan PEG vs Traditional comparison (PDF) ↗Direct DC-coupled BESS with DC optimisers
Routing strings through DC optimisers and coupling them directly to the BESS on the DC side — instead of separate AC-coupled inverter and battery-inverter stacks — changes the economics of a large, utility-scale grid-connected solar PV + BESS project:
Fewer combiners, homeruns and transformers translate directly into lower installed cost per watt and a stronger LCOE case for every DC-coupled BESS project we touch.
Supplier-agnostic BESS controllers — mix, match, and upgrade
Rather than locking a project into one battery manufacturer, CatalystGrid integrates a manufacturer- and trader-agnostic BESS power-plant controller and SCADA layer — so a project can mix and manage different BESS chemistries and vendors, including newer, lower-cost battery technologies, under one control system as they mature.
- ✓Manufacturer- and trader-agnostic BESS integration & SCADA — not locked to a single battery vendor.
- ✓Pre-qualified for ancillary services, with live monitoring, alarms and data.
- ✓Agnostic interface to wind, solar PV and power-to-X co-located generation.
- ✓Track record: Denmark's largest BESS portfolio — 350MW+ / 1GWh+ across 16+ projects, zero lost-time injuries.
- ✓An agnostic control layer preserves optionality as next-generation, lower-cost long-duration storage technologies reach commercial maturity.
Want the full PEG® & BESS economics model for your site?
We'll run a site-specific PEG® layout, DC-coupled BESS topology comparison and LCOE analysis — typically within 48–72 hours.