Hungry Jack’s boosts solar safety with Industrias audits

Industrias has entered into a nationwide partnership with Hungry Jack's to conduct annual audits of solar energy systems installed across the fast-food chain's Australian restaurants.

The agreement will see Industrias, described as Australia's first dedicated solar maintenance provider, oversee comprehensive checks on rooftop solar assets in more than 470 Hungry Jack's locations. The effort aims to ensure that solar installations operate safely, efficiently, and with optimal performance over their full lifecycle.

Focus on proactive maintenance

Industrias will provide annual system audits that go beyond simple compliance, highlighting potential issues with the use of their technology platform. This platform records detailed performance, risk, and safety metrics for each solar system. The intention is to move from reactive maintenance, which addresses faults after they occur, toward a predictive, "maintenance-first" approach.

"We're honoured to be working with this popular Australian brand. This partnership is an excellent example of best practice maintenance-first approach," said Daniel Lazarus, CEO at Industrias. "Hungry Jack's is not only meeting compliance requirements, they're actively working to exceed them. They're maintaining the integrity of their investment and doing their part for the environment by optimising the clean power generated."

The auditing process includes advanced data analysis. By combining predictive analytics with historical performance data, Industrias expects to identify trends of subtle system degradation, find underperforming modules, and project future faults that may otherwise go undetected by traditional periodic checks.

Applicability to smaller systems

While intensive monitoring is often associated with large-scale utility solar farms, Industrias contends these techniques are applicable to smaller rooftop arrays, such as those employed by Hungry Jack's. These systems, despite modest capacities - sometimes around 30 kilowatts - can provide meaningful reductions in emissions and grid energy use, if their output remains at optimal levels.

A Hungry Jack's spokesperson stated, "Maintenance of our solar systems is important to ensure the systems are safe, compliant, and operating efficiently."

Advanced data-driven model

Industrias' strategy relies on a range of data-driven metrics to provide a full view of asset health. These include:

• Performance Deviation Analysis, comparing actual and expected output for early identification of inefficiency.
• Component Reliability Scores, benchmarking inverters, panels, and cables against industry failure patterns.
• Safety and Compliance Index, checking that all sites continue to meet required electrical standards.
• Lifecycle Optimisation Forecasts, predicting when maintenance or replacement is needed to maximise return on investment.

Trend across corporate Australia

Large Australian companies are increasingly interested in ongoing maintenance as a core part of their renewable energy programmes, not just the installation of new capacity. The Industrias-Hungry Jack's partnership exemplifies a shift to prioritising the performance and safety of existing assets over their operational lifetime.

"With more corporates turning to solar, the question is no longer just 'how much capacity can we install?' but 'how do we ensure these systems deliver their promise over the long term?'," added Lazarus.

The move comes as Hungry Jack's continues to expand its use of clean energy in line with broader efforts to cut carbon emissions and operate in a more sustainable way. Regular maintenance and data-based analytics, as advocated by Industrias, are increasingly recognised as necessary for consistent and safe operation of commercial solar power systems.