SOLARTEK LLC

Solar Electric Systems

Optimized for Performance, Aesthetics, and Return on Investment

Is Solar Electric Expensive?  

For many homeowners, the cost of a typical solar electric system would be similar to the price of a new car.  As an investment, however, it is a reasonably priced approach to producing a long lasting revenue stream.   Like a long-term bond, a solar electric system produces a constant financial benefit for decades.  This investment also increases the value of the home.  In California, for example, homes with solar sell at a premium that exceeds the cost of the system.

What Kind Of Financial Incentives Are Available?

There are a number of financial incentives available to help reduce the net cost of a solar electric system.  These include...

State Rebate:  The most important for Floridians has been the state solar rebate program.  The rebate amount is $4 for each rated watt of solar electric system capacity installed by a licensed electrical or solar contractor, up to a maximum of $20,000 for a residence and $100,000 for a business.  The Florida Energy and Climate Commission (FECC) maintains a website describing the details and current status of the program.  You can find it here.

Federal Tax Credit:  The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act passed on October 4th, 2008 includes a federal tax credit for photovoltaic systems equal to 30% of the system cost.  This credit can be used to offset a tax liability in the year of the installation and is valid for any system installed after January 1st, 2009.  The tax credit expires on December 31, 2016.  Unused portions of the tax credit can be carried forward to subsequent tax years.  Commercial installations have additional incentives including accelerated depreciation.

Property Tax Exemption:  Another incentive is a property tax exemption for solar electric systems that was re-instated on July 1, 2008.  This law allows for a property tax exemption equal to the total cost of a photovoltaic systems installed after January 1, 2009. The exemption is good for at least ten years.

Utility Green Credits:  Some Florida utilities also provide production incentives such as Orlando Utilities Commission's Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).  For every kilowatt-hour produced by a solar electric system, the utility pays the homeowner five cents (regardless of whether the electricity is consumed at the home or sold to the utility).  A market for renewable energy credits is expected to develop as businesses perceive value in purchasing green energy.  In effect, a company could declare that it consumes solar or wind energy by buying the green credits that a homeowner sold to the utility.

An excellent summary of incentives is maintained by the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE):  www.dsireusa.org

What Size System Do I Need?  

The size of a system, usually expressed in kilowatts (kW), is defined by the number and type of solar modules.   For a home installation, this is often a subjective choice.  Typically, the size is based on providing a percentage of the total electricity consumption for the home.  A 5 kW system, for example, would provide half of the electricity consumed in an average Florida home.  Other factors that may define the size of the installation include the available roof space or the total cost.  We believe that the best size is often the option that optimizes the financial benefits of the solar investment.

How Long Will A Solar Electric System Last?  

Most solar modules have 25 year power output warranties and should last over 30 years.  Other components, such as the inverter will usually need to be replaced at least once over the lifetime of the system.  That’s why we include the cost of this replacement in most of our financial analyses.

Will I Have Electricity When The Utility Connection Fails?  

Only by adding batteries can a solar electric system provide electricity during periods of service interruption.  Batteries are an added complication to the system design that aslo increases the installation and maintenance costs.  Even with batteries you typically only cover a small subset of your total electrical needs.  Because of these issues we tend to discourage hybrid solar and battery systems.  However, we are more than capable of designing and installing this type of solar electric system.

Will A Roof Mounted Installation Damage The Roof?  

Installation does involve connections through the roof and into rafters.  Given the high quality mounts used by Solartek, there should be no chance of subsequent water damage.  Calculations are also required as part of the permitting process to ensure that hurricane-force winds do not lift the solar modules from the roof or the roof from the house. 

Should I Wait For A Technical Breakthrough? 

We believe that the cost of solar modules will slowly drop over many years as manufacturing efficiencies benefit existing technologies and newer technologies are brought into production.  Therefore, an installed system could be less expensive in the future.  The difference, however, is likely to be small because of the years of time lag between producing research quantities and producing quantities large enough to displace existing technologies.

  1021 West New Hampshire Street Orlando FL 32804