Commercial Solar Applications

Example System:
In this example the client uses 74,228 kilowatts hours annually. The system is designed to produce 74,068 kilowatt hours annually. The system has 294 Solar World SW175 panels which are 64" by 32" each.

System size STC - kW DC 51.45 kW
System size CEC - kW AC 44.446kW
Panel size 175 watt SW175
This system will have a 5% tilt South West
High yearly output = 82,308 kWh
Low yearly output = 65,828 kWh
Average yearly output = 74,068 kWh

*We can not predict what the weather will be, therefore we can not predict exactly the amount of energy the system will produce from the sun's rays. The cost of this installation in this example is $390,000.00

Rebates
The rebates for this example are as follows:
There are 2 options for receiving rebate money from the California Solar Initiative; Option one Is the PBI ( Performance Based Incentive ) program. In this program ( At the time of writing this web page ) the rebate is $0.34 for every kilowatt hour produced. This is paid to the owner of the system or their assignee every month for a period of 5 years. In our example this would amount to somewhere between$111,907.00 to $139,923.60. Option two Is the EPBB rebate which is paid at the time the system passes inspection when the installation is complete. At the time of the writing of this web-page the rebate is $2.20 for every installed CEC-AC watt which would be, in our example $95,512.00

Tax Credits
Currently the Federal solar tax credits for businesses is 30% of the cost of the installation. In this example this is $117,000.00

Depreciation
Besides the 30% federal solar tax credit the owner of the system can also do a 5 year accelerated depreciation ( please consult IRS publication 946 tables A1 and your own tax accountant ). In this example this would save the owner of the system an additional $82,875.00 in taxes over the first five and half years after the installation of the system.

Cost Savings
Money saved by producing solar electricity over the first six years would amount to around $83,509.00.
Money saved by producing solar electricity over 20 years in this example would be around $478,591.00.

Net Cost After Five And A Half Years
In our example the net cost of this system would be, a net gain of $26,854.00 in your pocket after 5.5 years if you chose the PBI rebate. Or the system would cost you $11,104.00 if you chose the EPBB rebate. Your net savings after 20 years on this system using the PBI rebate would be around $421,936.00. Your net savings after 20 years on this system using the EPBB rebate would be around $383,978.00.

Leasing Option
If you would rather lease the system we can arrange this for you. You can get into a commercial solar lease with little or no money down. The first 5 years are basically a break even point after taking into account your savings on the energy. In the 6 th year you are saving around 50% on your electricity for the next 5 years. There is a small buyout at the end of the lease.