Solar on Rooftops

We want to go Solar. Does anyone have any experience on selling rooftops for PPA agreement?
Any company you would recommend to install in our Los Angeles area?
My understanding is that Solar companies will install system for free and guarantee a reduction in electricity rates as compared to utility company.

What are considered good reduction guarantee rates?
I've heard that 30% or more off your utility rate is considered a good contract.

What about roof guarantees? Lots of installers walking on roofs and drilling might mean voiding of roof warranty.

thanks,
Martin

(Moderator Note: If you are a vendor and want to respond to Martin, please read the forum rules first!)

I do not have any experience with that, but I would ask the local electric provider if they can assist in the financing. I would also find out if you can sell excess power generated back to the provider (meaning power generated, but not used goes back into the grid). There was a family that received a Home Makeover (from the ABC Show); where they installed many green features, including solar that sold the excess back to the provider; essentially making it so there was NO ELECTRIC BILL because the system was creating so much more than the family used, the meter went backwards, and the utility company actually paid the family for having the solar system in place...... Many utility providers have programs in place that can finance, through rebates and credits on property taxes; efforts to go green. Look at all the options, and take advantage of the best ones for your property.

Remember, you can use solar to heat your water as well; you do not mention if your property uses gas for anything. I might have a contact that may be able to consult with you (he is a friend from a military veteran's group I am part of). I can try to contact him and send him your contact info if you wish.

I presume you have benchmarked your building already, looking at the last two years of utility bills, so you know how much power your building is consuming. This is an essential step. The Dept. of Energy through its Energy Star program offers a free, easy and anonymous benchmarking tool on its website. I encourage you to give it a try.

Also, you should upgrade your common area lights to LEDs, light emitting diodes. If they seem a bit expensive, then opt for CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) and wait until the price comes down on the LEDs. The LEDs last 5 times longer than the CFLs though, so in the end, the cost for LEDs is actually less than CFLs.

In Los Angeles, Solar City does a lot of work but they seem to prefer installing systems of 20 killowatts or greater. You may also contact REC (Renewable Energy Group) or SunRun if your system requires are less than 20killowatts. You can Google all these companies for contact info.

Good luck and glad to hear you're going solar. Did you know the sun provides enough energy to power all the earth's needs with just 70 minutes of sunlight per day? Now if we could just capture and convert it efficiently!

Kimberly Madrigal
GreenLandlady

We, here at Princeton Properties, just completed our first solar project in Massachusetts. The project ended up being one of the state’s largest single-site solar projects. We have a video descriping our project at: www.youtube.com/princetonvideos

Our team had good success working with a national solar installer and distributor - groSolar. I'm happy to pass along the following "press kit" information, hopefully they can assist with your project:

groSolar is North America's premier distributor, installer and integrator of solar energy solutions for residential and commercial installations. Founded in 1998, groSolar is the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned distribution company in the solar industry. The company has offices and warehouses across the continent, distributing solar electric and solar hot water systems from offices in VT, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, DE, PA, CO, MT, and CA. groSolar integrates components from leading solar manufacturers including Evergreen Solar, PanelClaw, Motech, Heliodyne, SMA, Fronius and UniRac into simple solar energy solutions for customers that generate clean, reliable energy for decades. groSolar is a mission-driven company dedicated to providing high quality solar energy solutions and whole energy appreciation. groSolar's venture capital investors include NGP Energy Technology Partners, SJF Ventures, and Calvert Social Investment Fund. Learn more at www.grosolar.com or call 800.374.4494.

Martin, Solar Santa Monica, sponsored by the City of Santa Monica is a great resource for going solar in L.A. They have a number of solar vendors that are already vetted: www.solarsantamonica.com

Here is a fun link to check out how much solar your roof can accommodate:
lacounty.solarmap.org/#

The state of California has a number of vendors and more at this site:
www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/database/search-new.php

Keep us posted on your experience. We can all learn from it.
Kimberly Madrigal
GreenLandlady

Hi Martin,

You can also list your rooftop for lease/partnership/PPA specifically as a site for solar energy and let companies contact you about your roof space. When they see your rooftop listed, they have the radiation information about your rooftop that the website automatically calculates and the tools to determine if you are a good fit for their projects. If so, they will contact you to discuss further and to ask for a site inspection to determine with an engineer your structural load.

The website is www.seglet.com .

Hope this helps!

One of NWP's partners is SolarCity ( www.SolarCity.com ) as part of our UtilitySmart suite of solutions, I'd be happy to answer anyone's questions about fitting a property with solar panels to dramatically reduce a property's electricity costs.