How to Get Started With Commercial Solar Power

If you own a business and are looking to reduce your electricity costs, you should consider commercial solar power. This type of energy can lock in a low electricity rate for years, and can even provide a favorable return on investment. However, commercial solar power is not just for large companies. With installation costs dropping by 50% since 2015, even small businesses can now benefit from solar installations. If you'd like to know more, read on! Here are some tips to help you get started with your solar installation:

Tax credits

Incentives for commercial solar power are available to help offset the rising costs of energy. Incentives are available for solar installations in the form of tax credits. To make solar more affordable, companies should take advantage of this incentive. The federal government will provide incentives to encourage more solar installations. Commercial solar power projects can help companies offset costs of energy, including electricity. To take advantage of these incentives, companies must invest in solar power systems before December 31, 2020.

Fortunately, the tax credit for solar energy systems can be used on both residential and commercial solar energy systems. In some states, the state government can provide upfront rebates to commercial property owners. However, these rebates usually only last for a certain period of time, so it is important to act quickly. However, state government rebates can reduce solar costs by ten to twenty percent. By researching state government rebates, businesses can get significant savings on the initial cost of their solar systems.

Net metering

When you have a solar system connected to the grid, your surplus electricity is sent to the utility. In return, your utility will credit your account for this electricity and reimburse you for the kWh you draw during the night. This is called net metering. In many cases, you can switch your electric supplier at any time and still get the credits you've earned. You may also switch the anniversary date. Net metering is an effective way to make money from solar power without incurring the expense of buying new electricity.

There are two types of net metering for commercial solar power. One is Virtual Net Metering, which allows you to allocate solar system benefits to tenants. The tariff rules allow you to allocate renewable generation bill credits between tenants or common load areas, or along one service delivery point. In both cases, the bill credits are similar to those in the NEM program. However, with virtual net metering, you can allocate the credits in a way that benefits all of your tenants.

Project development

When it comes to commercial solar power project development, the process can be complicated and lengthy. It starts with a site survey and feasibility analysis. The engineering department then undertakes preliminary design work, and project management is responsible for overseeing progress and coordination between internal departments. In addition to overseeing the development process, project managers help ensure that all legal and regulatory requirements are met and that the project is completed on time. In the case of large plants, the engineering phase can take as long as three years.

Utility-scale solar projects usually sell electricity to wholesale utilities. In this case, interconnection agreements are pre-approved by the state public utility commission. During the development stage, developers must pay for costs associated with grid upgrades and utility interconnection. In some cases, these upgrades will be expensive or impossible, and the timeline for construction of a utility-scale project might be too short. In the latter case, developers may attempt to time the construction of their project with a transmission upgrade.

Costs

Considering the costs of commercial solar power? Many businesses are choosing to install solar panels for many reasons, including the financial benefits, tax incentives and increased building value. Owner occupied buildings are particularly attractive because they can pass on these benefits to their tenants and even command higher rents if they market the building as "green."

The cost of commercial solar panels varies depending on the size of the system and location. The costs of installing a large system can range from $43,000 to $175,000, while smaller systems cost a mere few thousand dollars. Many businesses can expect to recover 45 percent of the installation cost within the first year with tax credits and rebate programs. You can use a solar payback calculator to calculate the savings and break-even periods over 20 years.

Installation

Before deciding on a commercial solar power installation, you must first decide on the size and type of system. Large rooftop systems can take several months to install, while smaller ones may only take a few weeks. The installation process should be well-thought out and carefully planned to minimize disruption of operations. You should also make sure that you choose a reputable installer with experience in this field. A well-designed solar panel system will include a plan that shows how the solar panels should be arranged and how the system will be constructed.

While commercial solar power installation projects can compete with utility-scale projects, these systems are much smaller than the ones used by homes. The reason for this is that commercial electricity is often cheaper than residential electricity, which makes economics of solar power installation projects a bit trickier. Commercial rooftop systems are a good option for a variety of reasons. For one thing, they can help businesses reduce their energy bills while achieving their sustainability goals. Commercial solar installations require a higher transmission capacity than residential installations, so you need to make sure you have the correct infrastructure to connect your system to your grid.

Solar Energy offers you instant savings on your power supply and not only that you convert to solar energy, but it is also reassured that there will be no unanticipated spikes in your power consumption on the way.