Residential Solar Electric

With the Oregon solar feed in tariff, Energy Trust incentives, Federal tax credit, and Oregon state tax credit, there has never been a better time to invest in a solar electric system in Oregon. In most cases the net system cost of a Residential solar electric system after incentives is $0.00.

• With solar electric you will lock in your electric rates for 25-40 years. Utility company rates have been steadily increasing by about 6% a year for the past 30 years.
• Solar is a smart financial investment. With a return on investment rate which is often far better and far safer than the stock market, long-term CDs, money market, and bond market investments
• According to the National Appraisal Institute, a solar system can Increase the value of your business by $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills, while your property taxes remain unchanged.
• Make a positive impact on the environment and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

Photovoltaic (PV) systems convert sunlight directly into energy and are quiet, safe, and reliable. Buildings with PV systems remain connected to a utility grid or to another alternative energy source for times when the facility requires more energy than the system can produce (i.e. at night).  This eliminates the need for batteries in most grid tied systems.  

Most PV systems come with up to a 25 year manufacturers warranty and will last more than forty years with proper care. Each system varies in size and can be made according to the specifications of the customer. The user can monitor the energy produced by these systems by a graphical interface either online or inside the building.

Residential PV systems typically range in cost from $5.00 - $6.00 per watt installed. These costs vary depending on the type of system, how and where the system is mounted, the amount of utility power that needs to be offset, and other variables. Solar systems cut the average electric bill between 20% and 100%. When the system produces an excess of power it is possible to sell this power back to the utility company for the same rate that company charges. This is called net metering.

Solar panels are made up of photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert sunlight into DC (direct current) power. The DC current from the solar panels goes through an inverter, where it is converted into AC (alternating current) power. AC power travels from the inverter to the electrical panel to power your building. With your business connected to the utility grid, all electricity flows automatically. When your system is producing more energy than you are using, it is fed back into the grid. The energy that you feed back to the grid is then credited to your utility account at a rate or 1 to1.

There are many reasons that Solar Electricity is a good idea.  Lets look at solar as an investment:

Typically a solar electric system will provide a seven to fifteen percent return on investment per year. Also, when a solar system generates savings for a homeowner its yield is not taxable.

If you want to find a ten percent yearly after tax yield on an investment that is as safe as solar, you would probably fail in today’s economy.  In fact, it is now possible to borrow at five to six percent to make an investment in solar that yields more than ten. As part of a home improvement loan the interest is deductible so the real cost is even less.

However, there is a big difference between going solar to avoid high utility expenses and placing the same money into a stock, bond or CD. While the traditional avenues of investment are available to us as options, we really have no choice about our utility bills. Unless we choose to live in cold, dark homes, we must keep paying that monthly energy charge. So the choice to go solar is really more about how you are going to spend your money rather than whether or not the payback is less than five years. It is similar to the rationale behind making a home purchase rather than renting one. Home ownership is all about developing equity and retaining value while renting is just a permanent never-ending expense. When you own a solar energy system, you are no longer renting energy from the utility; you are generating energy yourself and developing equity by putting your savings to use elsewhere.