SECRES Workshop. June 30, 2018 Solar For Home & Business. Lotus, Rocky Mountain Solar & Wind, Inc.

Transcription

1 SECRES Workshop June 30, 2018 Solar For Home & Business Lotus, Rocky Mountain Solar & Wind, Inc. 1

2 Presenter Lotus Rocky Mountain Solar & Wind, Inc. NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional Solar contractor for nearly four decades (719) N Circle Drive, Ste 160, Colorado Springs, CO

3 Why Go Solar Return on investment Lower your monthly bill Environmental reasons Increase your energy independence Protect against rising utility costs 3

4 Solar Economic Sweet Spots I d put my money on the sun and solar energy. Thomas Edison Utility Scale Solar Electric Systems Home Solar Electric Systems Passive Solar New Homes Electric Cars & Trucks Commercial Solar Electric Systems Commercial Solar Hot Water Heating Systems Replacing Propane With Solar Electric or Solar Heating 4

5 Utility Scale Solar Electric Systems Colorado Springs Utilities Clear Springs Ranch Solar Array Utility scale solar and wind electric frequently cost less than electric from natural gas and coal. Colorado Springs Utilities has already created a 70 megawatt system with another 100 megawatts being built for combined electricity to power 31,000 homes for a year. 5

6 Home Solar Electric Systems Economics The federal government provides a 30% personal solar tax credit, and CSU provides 25 cents per watt rebate, net metering, and there is no increase in property taxes. Typical 7 KW DC system costing $22,500, less tax credit (.30 X $22,500 $1,449 = $6,315), less rebate $1,449 = $14,735.7, which works out to a return on investment of nearly 10%. Savings accounts, IRAs, and similar low risk investments usually provide a less than 1% return. The net savings over 25 years if pay cash is $33,631, if financed = $25,478. Main components in solar electric systems are often warranted for 25 years or more and require very little maintenance. The panels are likely to continue producing substantial electricity for far more than 25 years, and can also increase the value of your home, in this case roughly $21,000. 6

7 Incentives Federal Tax Credit 30% % % Expires 2022 Local Utility Incentives PBI (Performance Based Incentives) Rebates (Utility writes you a one time check) 7

8 Economics of Investing In Residential Solar vs Investing In A Car Compare value of car vs solar over time Average Solar Appreciation 8

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10 How Much Do Solar Panels Increase Home Values? A 2015 study titled, Selling Into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab analyzed 22,822 home sales, of which 3,951 have PV, and which spanned eight states during Home buyers are consistently willing to pay PV home premiums across various states, housing and PV markets, and home types. Each watt of solar adds about $4 to a home s value in California and about $3 per watt elsewhere. Thus, a home with solar should sell for about ($4 x 5,000W =) $20,000 more in CA or ($3 x 5,000W =) $15,000 more outside of CA. These figures are very close to what you would pay for a brand new solar system today before taking into account the 30% Federal Solar Tax Credit. Previous example: 7KW = $22,500 vs $3/W X 7,000W = $21,

11 I Am A Home Owner, How Large A Solar Electric System Do I Need? Most people want to eliminate their electric bill; they want their solar system to provide 100% or more of their past usage, although this not a requirement, and is not always possible due to roof size, shading, and other variables. The maximum rebated size in the Colorado Springs Utilities s territory is 120% of usage. The maximum solar system size varies based on which utility you have. If at the end of a year your solar system s production has exceeded your usage, the extra production is only compensated at a rather small wholesale rate. So it does not make economic sense to make the system too large. All solar electric panels do degrade over time, so it does make sense to over size your system some, if you want to achieve 100% of your usage in future years. Your contractor will need your average monthly usage over the past year in order to size your system. 11

12 Regulatory Items All solar systems must meet both local building department requirements, and utility requirements. HOA cannot deny a flush mount, but may be able to deny tilted roof mounts, and ground mounts. Location of AC disconnect must be outside of house Liability insurance can vary, but is often $300,000 Residential (if 10KW size or less) $600,000 - $2M Commercial and some large residential systems 12

13 Accessories or Options Rack-less or micro rail systems Pest Guard Bird & squirrel barriers Monitoring panel level or system level Doesn t need regular maintenance 13

14 Passive Solar New Homes When building a new home, the combination of passive solar design (south facing windows with energy storage in concrete floors and multi-layered drywall on walls), extremely low air leakage allowance, and heavy insulation can combine to make the home so efficient that it requires very little or no heat. The backup can be an air to air heat pump run on electricity from the solar electric system (stored, when needed, on the grid). 14

15 Electric Cars & Trucks Tesla Model S Electric Vehicle Rocky Mountain Solar Plug-in Hybrid Electric Prius Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, transportation is the single largest source of air pollution in the nation. The federal government and the state of Colorado now have substantial incentives for both 100% electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHE). The federal government offers a tax credit of $7,500 for 100% EVs, and $4,000 or more for PHE vehicles. Even if you pay for electricity, the cost per mile for an EV is 3.5 cents, for a 50 MPG Prius- 5 cents (at $2.50 per gallon), for a 20 MPG SUV cents 30% of the energy in a gallon of gas is converted to motion but in an EV, 90% of the battery energy is converted to motion. If you have a solar electric system on your home, then your electricity to run your vehicle will eventually cost you nothing! There are also an increasing number of EV charging stations in Colorado Springs that are free. Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Marklines, predicts that by 2022 electric vehicles will cost the same as their internal combustion counterparts. 15

16 Commercial Solar Electric Systems Ballasted Commercial Solar Electric System Auto Tech Plaza, Platte Ave, Colorado Springs Commercial Inverters RIT Job Commercial Ground Mt Solar Electric System Radiological Imaging Technology, Colorado Springs As with solar electric systems on homes, businesses also have access to a 30% federal solar tax credit, the CSU 25 cents per watt rebate, net metering, and also substantial accelerated depreciation. The higher the business s electrical rate per KWH, the more money a solar system can save a business. The return on investment can be like those on homes if the price paid for electricity by the business is not too low. Residential electric rates are usually higher per KWH than commercial rates, and smaller businesses pay higher rates than larger businesses. So the sweet spot is usually with smaller businesses, unless the solar system is very large. The economics of commercial solar electric systems depend a lot on the rates paid by the business. Often commercial rates include substantial demand charges, which solar can do little to reduce, since on cloudy days solar systems produce little electricity. 16

17 For Nearly a Century Primarily Two Basic Kinds of Solar Systems Have Existed Solar Electric & Solar Heating Solar Electric Panels Solar Heating Collectors (liquid & Air) Evacuated Tube (liquid) Monocrystaline Polycrystaline Thin Film Now ALL of these solar technologies are being used for space heating, but usually only where people are using expensive propane to heat their homes. A revolution has occurred in solar space heating that very few people know about; solar electric generated electricity has become so inexpensive that it is now being used in some applications for space heating. Flat Plate (liquid) Flat Plate (air) 17

18 Solar Revolution Occurs At Pinon of Turkey Canon Ranch (located between Colorado Springs & Canon City) , after competitive bidding, the Pinon home owner s association arranged for contracts to be signed for the installation of twelve 10KW ground mounted solar electric systems. 2 3 years later several home owners converted from propane furnaces and propane boilers to electric space heaters and electric boilers, reducing their entire yearly utility bills by about 2/3. This tremendous savings on total annual utility bills was achieved by the following: -- lower cost of electricity generated by solar. -- increased efficiency of electric resistance heat, which is nearly 100% efficient. -- selling of surplus solar generated electricity to the utility during warm months, and then buying this electricity back for the same price during the winter months. -- reducing the number of rooms that are fully heated during the coldest periods of the winter. 18

19 Commercial Solar Hot Water Heating Systems Some businesses use substantial amounts of hot water year-round, such as apartment buildings, car washes and commercial laundromats. These commercial solar hot water heating systems also qualify for the 30% federal tax credit, accelerated depreciation, and CSU provides some rebate money for solar hot water heating (both residential and commercial). 19

20 What are the components of a solar system? Most expensive Components Include: Solar Electric [Photovoltaic (PV) Panels] Inverter Balance of System BOS - (all the extras) REC Meter Rapid Shutdown System Net Meter Junction Box Electric Service Panel Upgrade (Sometimes) Line side tap, Conduit, Breakers, Wire, Labeling Labor Costs: Try DIY! (If capable) Also Consider Design, Permitting, Inspections and Engineering costs 20

21 Solar Panels Wattage Warranty Physical Dimensions Color/Frame Rate of Degradation Poly/Mono Manufacturer Stability 72 vs 60 Cell Panels Panasonic Trina SolarWorld Mission Silfab Jinko Hanwha Solaria 21

22 Inverters SolarEdge Hybrid SMA String Enphase Microinverter (One per Panel) What does it do? Inverts (transforms) DC electricity to AC electricity How does it work? Brands/Manufacturers 22

23 Complete Grid Tied Solar Electric System 23

24 Types of Residential Solar Electric Systems Grid Tied Grid Tied With Batteries (Protected Load) Grid Tied With Batteries & Generator Off-Grid With Batteries & Generator Note: Adding batteries to a grid tied system, can often double the cost, or more. Types of Array Mounts Roof Flush Mount Roof Tilt Array Roof Ballasted Ground Mount Ground Mount with Tracking 24

25 Types of Systems 25

26 Types of Systems 26

27 Types of Systems 27

28 Types of Systems 28

29 Types of Systems 29

30 Utilities In This Region of Colorado Each Utility Has Different Solar Policies Colorado Springs Utilities Mountain View Electric Association Intermountain Rural Electric Association Fountain Utilities Black Hills Electric Xcel Energy San Isabel Electric Association Southeast Colorado Power Association 30

31 How To Go Solar DIY Lots of Paperwork Research Some Danger Solar Contractor Multiple Quotes Apples to Apples Comparison Local vs National Is the Installer NABCEP Certified? (Go to look under certified locator tab.) Has liability and workers compensation insurance Ask for References Number of installed systems of the type you are considering Years in business Licensed in local jurisdiction as a solar contractor 31

32 Solar References NABCEP.org COSEIA.org Home Power Magazine (Homepower.com) Solar Energy international (Education), Carbondale, CO DSIREusa.org (Incentives by state and Federal) Colorado Energy Office (Colorado.gov under energy tab) Recharge Colorado.com Cres-energy.org Cre-energy.org/southeastern-colorado-secres 32

33 Closing Questions? SECRES Southeastern Colorado Renewable Energy Society 33