• Tennessee has a grant program, TN-CET (Tennessee Clean Energy Technology), for businesses.  Home businesses are not eligible. Non-profits, schools, religious organizations and government buildings are not eligible. The grant is for 40% of the installed cost and maximum amount is $75,000.

• There is a 30% federal tax credit (not a deduction, but a credit). Most companies count the grant money as income so that the 30% tax credit can apply to the entire cost and not just the amount beyond the grant.

• Five year accelerated depreciation is available through ePact 2005.

• TVA Generation Partners will pay 20 cents per kwh for demand metered customers, generally double the local rate. If you are not demand metered the rate is 15 cents per kwh which would also be about double what you pay. You can expect production of approximately 1200 kwh a year, for each kw of installed capacity. This amount is effectively doubled, in dollar terms, by the Generation Partners program.

The public relations can be of value for some companies depending on their location, circumstances and desire to promote the use of clean, renewable energy and being an environmentally responsible company.

After establishing general information if the client wishes to proceed with design there is a design fee. This includes site assessment for existing conditions, mechanically and electrically, to gather information for system design. Information is gathered on potential locations of the array(s), evaluation of shading conditions at all times throughout the year, what type supports and mounting are appropriate, roofing condition, measurements, how it will be intertied with the electrical system and the grid, access, etc. This information is used in designing and pricing a turn key system. If the owner decides to install the system after presentation of the proposal the fee is counted toward the contract. If the owner declines, the design fee is kept for services rendered.

On the roof you need about 100 square feet per kw DC installed. Commercial systems range generally from 5kw to 50kw. So that would be 500 to 5,000 square feet of roof space. For amorphous silicon, such as Uni-solar shingles you only get 6 watts per square foot, so you need about 66% more roof space. Costs would generally be from $45,000 to over $350,000. Of course there are many variables but these are general ranges.

Electricity went up 16% in Nashville year before last and a 9% increase is in the works now. How much will it be in 10 years or 20 years? With solar electricity you lock in your fuel costs with today’s prices and benefit from inflation and market volatility as well as future charges for carbon or other emissions. What about the water resource required to cool coal and nuclear plants. Browns Ferry closed a nuclear plant this summer due to lack of water. Generally many people are motivated to install these systems by a desire to produce clean energy locally, uncertainty over future energy prices, independence from market manipulation, and/or because of environmental concerns. Unlike conventional sources, solar energy has no fuel cost, so the future price of electricity is known.

Solar panels come with 20-25 year warranties now and there are studies indicating that they may last substantially longer than that, as some terrestrial photovoltaic systems have now been producing energy for 35 years. There are no moving parts and the cells are encapsulated and framed in aluminum.