Boxborough Solar 101. Presented by: Elizabeth Youngblood, Project Manager Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. April 16, 2016

Transcription

1 Boxborough Solar 101 Presented by: Elizabeth Youngblood, Project Manager Massachusetts Clean Energy Center April 16,

2 Outline Introduction Solar PV Basics Solar PV Incentives and Economics

3 MassCEC Statutory Mandate Advance Clean Energy Technology Create Jobs Develop a Trained Workforce Accelerate Deployment of Clean Energy

4 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Basics

5 RENEWABLES World energy use 16 TW-yr per year ~ 475 exajoules ~ 460 Quads 2 6 per year Biomass 1, per year 3-11 per year OTEC 1,4 WIND 1,2 Waves 1, Natural Gas 1,8 Petroleum 1,8 215 total 240 total ANWR per year HYDRO 1, TIDES 1 per year Geothermal 1,7 0.3 per year Total Uranium 1,9 FINITE ENERGY RESERVES 900 Total reserve R. Perez et al. COAL 1,8

6 25-70 per year WIND 1,2 Waves 1, total SOLAR 10 23,000 per year Natural Gas 1, per year OTEC 1,4 240 total World energy use 16 TW-yr per year 2 6 per year Biomass 1,5 Petroleum 1,8 ANWR TIDES per year 3 4 per year HYDRO 1, per year Geothermal 1, Total Uranium 1,9 900 Total reserve R. Perez et al. COAL 1,8

7 Is There Enough Sun In MA?

8 HI AK NY CT VT NH NJ CA MA ME RI MI DE WI MD PA DC US NV SC OH COFL AL IL NM MN AZ KS GA VA TX NC IA IN MS MO TN MT SD NE UT WV WY OR OK KY AR ND ID WA LA $/kwh Price Mass Residential Electricity Prices 2012 Avg Residential Electricity Prices (cents per kwh) MA US MA homeowners had the 9 th highest average electricity prices in Residential Electricity Rates Sources: EIA 2012 Data

9 Installed Cost ($/watt) Number of Projects (<=15kW) Installed Residential Project Trends Number of Projects (15 kw and smaller) Installed Installed Cost ($/watt) $10.00 $9.00 $8.00 $7.00 $ $5.00 $4.00 $3.00 $2.00 $1.00 $

10 2006

11 2013

12 Talking about Electricity Solar PV system size is measured in: watt (W) < kilowatt (kw) < megawatt (MW) Electricity usage & production is measured in: Watt-hour (Wh) < kilowatt-hour (kwh) < megawatt-hour(mwh)

13 How do solar PV panels work? NEED DIRECT SUNLIGHT! Sunlight dislodges electrons in a layer of silicon Electrons flow to layer that needs electrons

14 Common Solar PV Terms Cell < Module / Panel < Array Inverter Combined = a Solar PV System

15 Common Solar PV Terms (cont.) Meters Revenue Grade Meter Utility Meter (Net Meter) External Disconnect Switch Batteries

16 How Does Solar a PV System Work? Grid-connected projects can apply for Net Metering (utility meter spins backwards) Power outage: Inverter shuts down, unless a battery-back up system is installed

17 Estimate Electricity Load Average MA Home uses 7,500 kwh/year (EIA, 2012 state data) Average solar PV system in MA is about 5,000 watts or 5 kw Electricity bill will have summary of prior year s consumption Assist in sizing solar PV system Back of the Envelope Calculation: 1 kw = approximately 1,200 kwh/year

18 What makes a good site? Southern exposure PV panels angled At least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight Open roof area of ~100 sq ft per 1 kw Open space for a ground or pole mounted system

19 What adds costs to an installation? Common Cost Adders Structural Reinforce Rafters Split Arrays/ Multi Roof Metal Roof Steep Roof Electrical Service Change Supply Side Tap Other Groundmounted System Data Acquisition System Extended Warranty Increased shading

20 Shading of Solar PV Systems Shading can significantly reduce the output of a system Full shading of one cell can reduce module output by 50% Micro-inverters may reduce some effects of shading

21 Shading of Solar PV Systems Initial site feasibility can be determined online through aerial images A shading analysis should be performed for each feasible project site Solmetric SunEye Solar Pathfinder

22 Aerial photos

23 Non-Feasible Sites Diminished value proposition for customer Installer is the technical expert Do online assessment first & site visit if warranted Requesting site assessments of nonfeasible sites adds costs for the Installer Community Solar Coach (and team) must take some role in communicating with non-feasible sites Community % of Leads that had site visits Acton 52% Arlington 56% Boston 41% Hopkinton 58% Lenox 51% Lincoln 66% Melrose 26% Mendon 53% Millbury 76% Montague 62% Newburyport 37% Palmer 59% Pittsfield 53% Shirley 31% Sudbury 69% Sutton 62% Wayland 52%

24 What to do if have a Non-Feasible Site Consider energy efficiency Other renewable energy technologies Solar Hot Water ( Air source and ground source heat pumps ( Community Solar Projects

25 Solar Incentives in Massachusetts High electricity prices + Reduced Solar PV Costs + Numerous Incentives = Economical solar projects Incentives State and Federal Tax Incentives Net Metering SREC Sales State Loan Program (coming) Low/No money down options

26 Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) Electricity Pathway Electrons from all generation sources are physically the same Cannot be tracked independently on the grid Electricity and SRECs can be, and often are, sold separately SRECs Pathway SRECs represent the green attributes of the renewable generation source Utilities are required to purchase SRECs every year 1 SREC = 1,000 kwh Verified SRECs ensure that only one buyer can claim each SREC

27 SRECs (cont.) Will be able to sell SRECs for 10 years Likely sell from $285 - $189 per SREC Work with aggregator or broker to help with the sale Monthly production reported to MassCEC s Production Tracking System (PTS) SREC II Program began accepting new applications in early May 2014

28 Ownership Models Outright purchase Power Purchase Agreement Lease

29 Mass Solar Loan Anticipated launch in 2015 $30 million program aimed at increasing lending for residential solar Combination of an interest rate buy down and a loan loss reserve Aimed at providing financing for lower FICO score customers Will also support low and moderate income customers

30 Assumptions: Simple Solar Ownership Model Assumptions Size: 5 kw (5,000 watts) Capacity Factor: 13% Panel Degradation: Electricity Price: Electricity Price Escalator: Life of System: 1% Annually $0.14/kWh 3% Annually 20 years SREC Value: $ Timeline for SREC Sales: 10 years Discount Rate: 7.5% Disclaimer: This financial analysis is only an estimate. Actual installed costs, savings, and revenues are subject to change and will be specific to individual projects.

31 Simple Solar Ownership Model State Average Price Example Tier Price Dollar Per Watt Cost $ 4.92 $ 4.00 Total Upfront Installation Cost $ 24,600 $ 20,000 Federal Tax Credit (30% of cost) - $ 7,380 - $ 6,000 MA Tax Credit - $ 1,000 - $ 1,000 Total After Tax Credits $ 16,220 $ 13,000 NPV SREC Income (over 10 yrs) - $ 9,621 - $ 9,621 NPV Electricity Savings (over 20 yrs) - $ 9,402 - $ 9,402 Net Project Cost $ (2,803) $ (6,023) Payback ~7 years 5-6 years Disclaimer: This financial analysis is only an estimate. Actual installed costs, savings, and revenues are subject to change and will be specific to individual projects.