Professional Solar Energy Consultants To Tap Into A Limitless Resource

These days it’s almost impossible to listen to NPR or watch Fox news without learning about the renewable energy sector, and more specifically, about solar. With good reason too, because the pv industry is growing (IE: producing jobs in a recession), and photovoltaics are clean and renewable suppliers of energy that remove the need for more carbon extensive fuels like coal and oil. It’s also quick, easy, and risk-free when compared to various other forms of renewable power like wind and atomic energy (notice the Fukushima Daiichi disaster of 2011), and did I forget to mention, it’s relatively unrestricted considering the sun shines 7 days a week 365 days a year? The flip side to all this kind of glory is the cost of solar is still more expensive as compared to picking up the phone and setting up an account in order to power your organization with the local utility; but that’s changing. The cost of plastic and the other materials that go directly into solar PV have dropped more than 30% from 2010 to this year, and the more energy the solar industry gains in the U.S., the greater the interest from the private investment sector that will continue to offer photo voltaic financing methods to customers considering harnessing the power of the sun.

But how do you actually go pv? Well you might call an electrician, but I wouldn’t advise this. Your general contractor might be able to aid too, yet wouldn’t you prefer to work immediately with a pv professional instead of a subcontractor you’ve had no influence choosing? And that’s where the solar energy professionals come in.

Unlike a general service provider or an electrical contractor, a solar power consultant focuses specifically upon crunching the data and numbers specific to your site and budgetary restraints in order to see whether solar will be feasible for you. A solar power consultant (occasionally referred to as a solar power contractor) may analyze your own facility’s historical power usage to obtain a sense of what size a pv installation is important to zero out your expenses. If the solar installation has been spec’d for a new construction, then the solar power contractor will review the construction plans and ascertain what the anticipated electrical loads will be based on building utilization and predicted equipment.

On site, solar energy consultants will measure the available size on any kind of roofs or land in order to know what size set up can be built. They’ll perform a shading analysis upon any equipment (like HVAC), adjacent constructions, and surrounding foliage. Maybe an elevated tone structure is the best way to maximize unused room for a solar installation? The actual solar energy advisor will consider all the various kinds of racking (or instance: roof-mount, ground-mount, single or double axis trackers, fixed tilt, shade structures, building-integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV), etc.). Depending on the location of the site (for example: city, region, state) numerous building requirements for solar will have an effect on the ultimate style layout and size of the installment. Some municipalities have stronger fire code regulations and require further setbacks on the roof top for security.

Beyond the calculations of the site specifications, the solar power contractor will also consider the various solar funding structures, and state and local subsidy applications. Depending on the size of set up, and arrangement of construction, tax exempt entities could probably accelerate the depreciation of the solar asset, or the solar power consultant may well suggest a no money down financing framework like a power purchase agreement (PPA) where the host customer will pay a reduced fee for the energy the system generates instead of paying out the cash to buy the equipment and own it themselves.

And then there’s the procurement method. Even if you handled the feasibility period yourself, accessing and knowing the pros and cons of the numerous solar systems can be difficult. A solar energy service provider will help you find their way around the various systems, give you direct access to the handful of reputable pv manufacturers which don’t just sell to the general public, as well as negotiate on your behalf for the best feasible price. Obtaining a clear understanding of the ROI is key whenever developing a solar technology system. The improvement process can be pricey, and development can be tricky if you’re doing the work alone.

Borrego's Solar Energy Consulting can help your business or Government agency plan and build efficient and reliable solar power installations to accurately project expenses and ROI while minimizing risk.