Agricultural and Farm Solar
Having grown up in the Yakima Valley and Tri-Cities on a farm, we understand the nuances and needs of the agricultural and farming community concerning electricity. Solar actually has some similar attributes to farming. I have referred to solar as a "sun harvester" and called solar folks "sun farmers".It is not a huge leap from using the sun to grow plants and using the sun to produce electricity. Another similarity is the same tax benefits one gets for farming equipment goes for solar equipment. Combine that with the WA incentives and the USDA grant of 25% up to $500,000 and the USDA 80% loan Guarantee offers a very low-risk investment with high returns.
If you are interested in learning more before we meet, the Department of Energy has a comprehensive question and answer guide "Farmer's Guide To Going Solar" Just click the link below to view.
- Indian Country Solar
Now! Solar has years of experience in Indian Country. We try and structure so that these projects are owned by members or the Tribe. While navigating a project in Indian country can be difficult and take more time we have found them to be our most rewarding on a personal level than any other sector of our industry and have more of an immediate impact on the lives.
- Feasibility studies
- Education (literature, classes or on the job)
- Financing (private/public funds grants and partnerships)
- Engineering
- Interconnection Studies
- Site Control
- Fatal Flaw Analysis
- Environmental
- Permitting
- Installation
- Operating
- Maintenance
- Manufacturing
- Formation and Operation Of A Tribal Owned Utility
- Formation and Operation Of A Tribal Owned PUD
We are very fluid in our approach in respect of what talents the Tribe or members may or may not possess. Our goal is to first use members talent, second train members if available or if this is not possible we have the talent to accomplish any given task for a solar project. If you or your tribe is interested in learning more please contact us to discuss your possibilities. Battery Storage
Energy storage is a fast-growing segment of the renewable energy markets and is needed if solar is going to be a competitive stand-alone resource. When we first started in solar almost 30 years ago we did not have the ability to connect to the grid so 100% of solar systems were combined with batteries. Once the grid connection for solar was established, focus and attention were, for the most part, lost for energy storage. In the last 5 years, solar alone became less expensive than fossil fuel which brought back the viability and interest of combining solar with energy storage. In order for solar to be a competitive base power source, it needed the ability to provide power 24 hours a day. A lot of money was pumped into the research and development of batteries and the market emerged of energy storage. Financially, it still has a ways to go to be competitive for residential markets but for commercial solar (see Incentives) it works preferred.. Here in the Northwest, we are blessed with multiple and abundant renewable energy resources thus, for the most part, offering a reliable electrical grid. Even with a reliable grid, there are several reasons one might want to consider storage with one's solar system.
- Reliability: A business that is dependent on electricity such as cold storage or data centers can lose thousands of dollar's a day and can affect their reputation.
- Off-Grid: Energy Storage is a must for solar systems not connected to the electrical grid.
- Redundancy: An example would be data centers. It is critical that a data center never loses power as businesses are dependent at times to being connected to the internet such as a hospital. For these applications, many will have triple redundancy, utility grid connection, a fuel generator, and energy storage usually powered by solar or wind. Here is an example list of businesses that should not lose power: Data Centers, Hospitals, Military, Police, Schools, Bitcoin Mining, Cold Storage, Telecom, Elevators,
- Energy Independence: There are many who want the freedom of not being reliant on the utility company. Most utilities raise their rate every year which is a headache for any CFO as it is a financial unknown. Combining storage with solar there is the security of never having to deal with a financial unknown
- Financial: A large number of companies have electric bills that are up in the thousands of dollars and some we have done in the $ millions. It can be a substantial amount of money that moves from expense to income. Solar prices have extremely dropped so even when combined with batteries can have a 4-6 year ROI depending on the complexity and equipment needed for the install. There are substantial Federal incentives that were formulated for businesses and farms. This year they changed the MACRS (Accelerated Depreciation) from 5 years to one year. If you do not have the tax appetite you can still spread them to the 5 years.
Battery Storage And The Electrical Grid
Battery Technology Has Substantially Improved And Prices Have Fallen
