Energy Savings through Solar Energy for Municipalities September 2014 2014 Sunvestment Group www.sunvestmentgroup.com
Topics to Cover Who We Are RER Energy Group Sunvestment Group Why Now for Solar Energy Pricing Trends Current Incentives Community PPA Financing Structure Science & Technology What We Can Do For You
Company Backgrounds Reading Electric founded in 1956 55+ employees 2000 moved to a 40,000 square foot facility 2009 installed 143 kw solar array on own facility 2009 formed RER Energy Group solar developer 2013 formed Sunvestment Group financing platform NABCEP Certified Solar Installers Serving markets of CT, DE, MD, NJ, NY and PA
Sample Systems Previous Three Years Focus on Quality Equipment and Efficient Energy Production Over 20 megawatts (MW) of cost effective energy systems Over $22 MM in grants obtained for 75 clients Energy produced tracking at 103% of projected generation
Solar Market Growth U.S.
Installed Capacity (MW) Solar Market Growth NY 140 New York Total Installed Solar Electric Capacity 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Source: Interstate Renewable Energy Council, US Solar Market Trends 2010-2013
Solar Market Pricing Trends
Solar Market Pricing Trends
Solar Market Pricing Trends
Why Now - Solar Incentives Incentives Cover the Majority of the Costs of Solar Energy Projects NY incentives contribute approx. 25% of project costs (Cash) Federal incentives contribute 30% of project costs (Tax Credit) Accelerated Depreciation benefits provide ~ 30% of costs
Why Now - Solar Incentives Incentives Cover the Majority of the Costs of Solar Energy Projects NY incentives contribute approximately 25% of project costs: NYSERDA Grant (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) Megawatt Block Grant - Less than 200 kw system $.90 per watt up to 50 kw, $0.55 per watt 50 kw to 200 kw 17% of 5.5 MW Block 2 Distributed Megawatt Block Grant - Greater than 200 kw system $107 Million already distributed in previous programs Next application opportunity anticipated Spring 2015 Must be installed by a NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer Funds reserved pre-project
Why Now - Solar Incentives = $1 per watt & $0.60 per watt (Closed 9/16/14) = $0.90 per watt & $0.55 per watt (6,632 kw remaining)
Why Now - Solar Incentives Incentives Cover the Majority of the Costs of Solar Energy Projects Federal Incentives contribute 30% of project costs: Investment Tax Credit - 30% Solar system must be in service by 12/31/2016 Credit available Year 1, can be applied over 5 years Currently scheduled to be reduced to 10% at end of 2016 Includes equipment generating electricity from solar energy, storage devices, power conditioning equipment, transfer equipment, and installation
Why Now - Solar Incentives Incentives Cover the Majority of the Costs of Solar Energy Projects Accelerated Depreciation benefits provide approx. 30% of costs: Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) Business equipment usually depreciated over useful life Solar property depreciable on accelerated basis over five years (actual useful life is approximately 30-40 years) More heavily weighted in the earlier years of the five years
Why Now - Solar Incentives Significantly Reduced Net Effective Project Cost Illustrative Municipality Proposed Project Size - 1,000.0 kw Solar Array Incentives & Benefits based on Investor Tax Rates Turn-key Solar Project Cost Before Incentives $ 2,000,000 Less: Incentives & Benefits After Taxes Over the First 5 Years (1) Estimated NYSERDA BLOCK 1 Grant $ 400,000 Estimated NYSERDA Grant Tax Impact $ (186,800) Federal Tax Credit - 30% of Eligible Project Costs, Available Year 1 $ 600,000 Accelerated Depreciation Savings - 5 Year MACRS Schedule $ 815,200 Total Incentives & Depreciation Benefits Over First 5 Years $ 1,628,400 Net Effective Project Cost After First 5 Years of Incentives $ 371,600 Total Incentives & Depreciation Benefits as % of Turn-key Cost 81.4% (1) Assumes participation of Business or Individual who can utilize Tax Credits. Assumes 39.6% Federal and 7.1% State Effective Tax Rates.
Community PPA Financing Structure Community Power Purchase Agreement Pays for and owns solar array Collects payments from host site for power generated Collects incentives: Federal Tax Credit: 30% Depreciation Benefits NYSERDA Grants Pays for operations & maintenance Pays administrative fees for accounting & legal filings Energy Host Site Solar PPA LLC Investment funds Payments for Energy Tax Credits Depreciation Free Cash Flow Local and Other Investors
Community PPA Financing Structure Significant Energy Savings Through Community Power Purchase Agreement - CPPA PPA Terms & Assumptions Solar Annual Energy Production Estimate 1,200,000 kwh Current Energy Rate Cost Per kwh $0.110 PPA Energy Rate Cost Per kwh $0.088 PPA Discount to Current Rate 20.0% PPA Energy Rate Annual Escalator 2.0% PPA Period (Discretion of Illustrative Municipality, can be longer period) 20 Years Anticipated Market Energy Cost - Year 20 (3.5% annual growth rate) $0.211 Known PPA Cost Per kwh - Year 20 $0.128 Cost Per KWh Post Year 20 Purchase (free energy from the sun) $0.000
$8,000,000 Community PPA Financing Structure Cumulative Cash Outflow: Market Cost vs. Solar Cost (Pre-Tax) $7,000,000 $6,000,000 $5,000,000 4.5% Annual Market Increase 3.5% Annual Market Increase 2.5% Annual Market Increase $4,000,000 $3,000,000 Solar Cumulative Costs $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Cumulative Savings (after-tax) $3,500,000 $3,000,000 $2,500,000 $2,000,000 $1,500,000 $1,000,000 $500,000 $0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Solar Opportunities in New York Why Now? What Would One Lose by Waiting? NYSERDA grant - money available now - Sunvestment Group has helped clients obtain $22M in grants - Full-time grant writer ability to execute Federal 30% ITC drops to 10% if system not installed by 2016. Takes a year for planning, financing, permitting, other Cost of borrowing money is at historically low rates Modules prices dropped 80%+ over last 5 years, now rising
Solar Opportunities in New York Why Now? What Would One Lose by Waiting?
Where s The Sunshine? The Entire U.S. Has Sufficient Solar Exposure For Solar Systems. Germany has Alaska equivalent sun exposure levels, and more solar (on absolute and per capita basis) than any other country in the world.
Why Would We Use Solar In The Northeast? Solar modules work by producing both Current and Voltage Voltage = ƒ(temperature) V as T Current = ƒ(light) I as Light Lots of Sunny, Clear and Cold Days Best time to harvest sunlight for electricity = Sunny, Clear, and Cold days
Technology PV System Overview
Technology PV System Components Solar Array D/C D/C A/C Inverter Revenue Grade Meter Public Utility Bi-Directional Electric Meter Main Service Panel A/C Disconnect
Technology Solar Modules Largest single cost in system Up to 30% of system cost Typically Silicon based cells Single crystal, multi-crystal, or amorphous Amorphous less efficient Glass encapsulate Aluminum frame Requires grounding Available with black frames 25-year warranty is standard
Technology Inverters Convert DC power to AC power Efficiencies 94.5-98% conversion Battery backup power not standard Inverter limits production of system Inverter selection is very important Inverter failures are more common than module failures
Technology Roof Mount Racking Standing Seam Roof Mount Ballasted Roof Mount Corrugated Roof Mount Shingle Roof Mount
Technology Ground Mount Racking
Technology Carports for Sun and Snow Protection
Design Considerations How Much Electricity Do We Need?
Design Considerations How Much Capacity Can Be Placed on the Roof
Design Considerations Site Evaluation Age and condition of roof Obstructions Vents, HVAC, pipes, etc. Shade from trees or buildings Roofing material (TPO, BUR, EPDM, PVC, Asphalt, SSR, Metal) Support structure Attachment method Topography and soil conditions Ground mounts
Design Considerations A Solar PV Array Should Maximize Sun Exposure Southwest to Southeast are acceptable orientations South face produces most energy West face produces more late day energy Flat roofs work well with low tilt angles Modules should be tilted at least 10 degree pitch to for proper water runoff
NREL* Production Estimate *NREL- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Production Tracking Monitoring
Production Tracking Sunvestment Group Annual Report
Case Studies New Age Industries Manufacturer & Fabricator of Plastic Tubing Systems Size: 1,000 kw Yingli modules Satcon Inverters UniRac Solar Mount Phoenixville High School Public School Systems Size: 252 kw Kyocera modules Panel Claw Satcon Inverter
Case Studies Indianapolis Airport System Size: 12.5 MW Phase I Geres/Telamon Project Benetino Smart Park Municipality System Size: 2 MW Geres/Telamon Project
Case Studies Fesko Dairy Farm 1,000 Cow Dairy Farm System Size: 303 kw Hanwha modules Advanced Energy inverter Schletter FS ground mount racking
Madison County Solar Array ARE Park 2.44 MW Solar Array Land Area Approx. 10 acres PV Modules 8,424 Est. Output 2,866,000 kwh Annual Energy Offset 67%
Madison County Solar Array Environmental Benefits By installing a solar array, Madison County is doing its part to reduce global warming, air pollution, natural disasters and ultimately preserve our planet. The array will avoid 847 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) from entering into the environment. 1,200,000 kwh of clean energy is equivalent to any of the following: Annual green house gas emissions from 176 cars. CO 2 emissions 1,969 barrels of oil consumed. CO 2 emissions from 94,918 gallons of gasoline consumed. CO 2 emissions from 35,278 propane cylinders used for home barbeques. CO 2 emissions from the electricity use of 127 homes in one year. CO 2 emissions from all the energy use of 44 homes for one year. Carbon sequestered annually by 694 acres if pine or fir forests. 7 acres of forests preserved from deforestation. Greenhouse gas emission avoided by recycling 317 tons of waste
Additional Benefits Good For The Environment And The Economy Reduce your electric bill today Protection from inflationary energy prices tomorrow Increase the value of your property The sun s rays are always free and clean Completely sustainable and renewable we have 4,500 million years in reserve No byproducts of solar energy, no pollution Reduce carbon dioxide emissions produced by burning fossil fuels On average 80% of a solar project cost stays in America Reduce dependence on foreign oil Reduces the electricity demand on the electrical grid during peak times
Next Steps Provide a winter and summer utility bill SVG & RER perform preliminary Site Evaluation at no cost to you SVG & RER provides budgetary proposal, including recommendations on areas to improve energy conservation and financial analysis If interested in moving forward, provide Letter of Interest SVG & RER perform Site Evaluation by a NAPCEP certified Engineer SVG & RER provides refined Economic Proposal Upon approval, SVG & RER submit NYSERDA Grant Application Upon Grant Award, Sign Contract and Interconnection Agreement
Thank you for this opportunity. If you have any questions, please contact: Jim Kurtz President, Sunvestment Group 917-304-0762 jkurtz@sunvestmentgroup.com Chris Flynn Vice President, Finance 570-575-2458 cflynn@sunvestmentgroup.com Mike Roach Solar Project Developer 315-247-8494 mroach@rerenergygroup.com