As a business owner, you’re always looking for ways to reduce your overhead and save money. One way to do that is by installing a commercial solar system. Solar power is one of the most cost-effective and sustainable forms of renewable energy available today, and it’s only going to become more popular in the years to come. In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of commercial solar power and answer some common questions business owners have for commercial solar contractors. We’ll also take a look at the future of the energy sector and how renewable energy is changing the way we produce and consume electricity.
Common Questions Business Owners Have About Going Solar
You don’t have to be working with a commercial solar contractor to be curious about investing in solar. The growing renewable energy sector relies on solar power to provide nearly 14% of the United States’ green energy as of 2021. This ever-evolving industry has provided business owners and solar investors with opportunities like increasingly efficient energy cultivation and adaptable means of harnessing their solar energy…but due to the progression of our understanding of solar science, the industry is always changing. This leaves us with room for many questions; some of the most popular questions business owners have about investing in solar power are listed below.
Does Solar Power Come With Financial Benefits?
The short answer to this question is yes, investing in solar energy offers everything from positive PR and tax credits to even selling excess energy to the local power company. According to a study produced by EnergySage, American businesses that installed solar panels were able to eliminate nearly 90% of their utility costs—a percentage that will only increase as the technology for efficiency of energy capture and storage improve.
What’s the ROI on Solar Panels?
If your business operates in a particularly sunny area, you are even more likely to see a Return on Investment (ROI) on your solar panels. While it can sometimes take years to pay off the initial costs of the panels themselves and their installation, business owners can expect an ROI of around 20% on their first year after the panels are paid off.
Why Solar Renewable Over Other Alternative Energy Plans?
The sun has been the primary producer of energy for life on the planet for billions of years, but it wasn’t until the last few centuries that humans developed an interest for harnessing that power. This enduring free resource has almost unlimited potential that we didn’t begin to tap into in earnest until the 1950’s. Since then, we’ve come a long way with improving efficiency and storage of solar power to the degree that we can power airplanes, automobiles, and entire buildings off of solar energy alone. Solar can be used not only to produce electricity through photovoltaic systems, but also to condense and distribute heat as well. This can do everything from heat a swimming pool to generating energy at solar thermal power plants.
While the United States currently has more infrastructure currently to collect wind energy through the use of wind turbines, wind is still created as a product of the sun heating the surface of the earth. Wind energy accounts for 46% of all renewable energy we use in the United States, but solar is an advancing field with the option to produce energy “off grid,” unlike many other alternative energy sources, such as hydroelectric.
This means that if you have more energy than you can use, you can sell your excess to the nearest power company and potentially even turn a profit!
Is Solar Power Really Better for the Environment?
Solar power is known for being a zero-emissions means of capturing and storing energy and converting it to electricity or thermal power. This is not to mention solar power is less likely to impact the native wildlife than the installation of wind turbines. What’s more, for every single kilowatt-hour of solar power harnessed, solar panels can offset roughly 50 grams of carbon dioxide. Assuming you average around 5 hours of good sunlight a day, your business can offset approximately one ton of carbon dioxide over the course of four days. That can mean great things for the environment—but also your bottom line!
Is Investing in Solar Power Worth It?
If your business operates in a sunny area and you’re thinking about converting to solar power, you may be wondering: is solar power really worth it? Of course, the answer to this question depends, quite literally, on the weather where you practice your business. Consider roughly how many kilowatt hours you would be able to average a day throughout the various seasons, and factor in potential tax breaks, potential for energy surplus (and therefore profit) and a dramatic decrease in utility bills. In short, if the sun is an abundant resource in your area, solar panels will pay for themselves within a few years!
Solar Renewable Power: The Future of Renewable Energy
In spite of the many different means of collecting renewable energy we’ve cleverly managed to uncover as a species, at their root, they all come back to the same source: power from the sun. Even renewable energies like wind turbines and hydroelectricity rely on stimulation from the sun to generate movement. Since the 1800s, scientists have been chipping away at the best way to harness this invaluable free resource, gradually refining their technique in an ongoing process that continues to this day.
Our water resources are precious, and our wind turbines costly and take up lots of space. Each wind turbine costs around $3.5 million to install in order to produce 2 megawatts of electricity…whereas a solar farm capable of producing as much energy would cost only $2.5 million to install. Further, the cost of solar technologies is dropping by an annual average of over 60% each decade… so who knows where the industry will be in a few short years!
Commercial Solar Contractor Stockton, CA
As a business owner, you are confronted with many questions about best methods for moving forward as a company and protecting your bottom line. With the technology rapidly advancing each year in this exciting (and relatively new) field, commercial businesses are faced with a choice: do they stick with fossil fuel or coal, or do they step into the leadership role and invest in developing solar infrastructure, as so many corporations have done before them.
Even if you’re not keen to save the world, a savvy business owner is always looking for ways to bolster their bottom line. And with the ROI generated by solar panels, potential tax breaks or reward programs, the option to sell excess energy to power companies, and even the option to eliminate utility costs entirely, there aren’t many reasons not to take the leap of faith and invest in solar power today!
Are you looking for a professional commercial solar contractor to take your business to the next level? Contact Renewable Technologies now for a quote!