Converting your facility to solar power is a cost effective way to power your business. There are several steps to convert your facility’s electricity over to solar.
Determine the Best Option
You have the option to either lease or buy the solar panels. In a lease, you will pay fixed amount each month for the solar produced energy. The lease agreement normally ranges from 7 to 18 years and during that period of time, you will be paying just for leasing the panels. The leasing fee will increase by a percentage every year.
In a purchase agreement, you will pay only for the amount of solar energy that you want. The agreement typically lasts for 10 to 20 years and the upfront cost is low.
Contact a Solar Company
Many solar companies exist so it is best for you to choose among the ones that have a good record of installing solar powers successfully. The solar power company will send a representative to inspect your facility. The representative will also need specifics about how much energy the facility needs and how the energy will be used. The company then sends an audit team or audit person over to figure out how to best connect the solar panels.
Design Phase For Solar
The engineers will try to form a plan on how the solar power installation should be designed. The audit team and the design team will work closely together for awhile to plan how to proceed. A project manager will be assigned to deal with permits, utilities, applications and paperwork. Once the design phase is completed, the project team will try to get approval from the utilities to start installing the solar panels.
After Approval
When everything is approved, the construction can start. The construction process typically takes from 6 months to a year. Some parts of the construction phase will take longer than others. Powering a facility with solar power can be a long process and it should not be expected to take a few days to a few weeks to complete the construction.
If you are ready to get the process started to power your facility with solar power, call O.C. McDonald today 408-295-2182