Distributed energy production at your place of business, school, or community center remains one of the best ways to guard against the rising cost of energy. Adding battery energy storage adds resilience.
Here’s a look at some solar photovoltaic basics:
- Solar photovoltaics work because of light from the sun, not heat. A cold, clear day is a great time to harvest clean solar energy.
- Battery storage along with solar PV is increasingly popular because of the benefits it adds. Here are some facts on storage from the Solar Energy Industries Association.
- You still have time to benefit from the federal tax credits for business solar and storage. Details here from DSIRE.
- When comparing the cost of producing your own on-site solar energy versus utility energy, you’ll want to consider the levelized cost of energy, or the entire cost up front and long-term maintenance, that cost then spread over the entire time you are able to produce energy for yourself. LCOE over the long-term provides a predictable alternative to rising or inconsistent utility energy costs.
A free resource for details on getting started with solar and hearing how it has worked for others is Solar United Neighbors.
Here is a quick look at how solar supports the bigger picture for various organizations.
Anne Brock-Rankin is Marketing Coordinator for Solar Alliance, a renewable energy company based in Knoxville. She can be reached at abrock@solaralliance.com.
