Leading Solar Industry Experts Come to One of the Largest Rooftop Solar Installations in Massachusetts:

Area Business Owners Turn Out to Explore Solar ROI 

Clarke - Milford, MA: The 106,000 sq ft kitchen showroom facility went from a $10,000/mo electric bill to under $100/mo since their solar system was installed.

Beaumont Solar and a panel of leading industry experts hosted their second Solar Experts Round Table on April 4, designed to assist business owners and executives who are considering adopting solar energy for their businesses understand the various financing options, system ROI and critical points of the solar project process at Clarke Corporation, home to one of the largest rooftop solar systems designed and installed by Beaumont Solar.

Attendees heard from a panel of some on the industry's leading renewable energy experts as well as business owners who have implemented solar systems for their businesses.  Sean Clarke, General Manager of Clarke warned attendees to beware of what he called "charlatans", solar companies who are ill equipped to manage the total installation process, and hence end up subcontracting out your system's design, electrical and installation to different companies. 

"When we decided to go with solar, we spoke to a lot of companies", said Clarke.  "I have a drawer full of business cards, but in the end, we chose Beaumont Solar because they do all the work themselves from start to finish giving us true piece of mind in our investment" 

Arthur Luke, owner of Luke's Super Liquors, West Yarmouth told the crowd that his 182kW solar system Beaumont Solar installed in 2010 has almost paid itself off already.  "Because of the solar system, we save 60% of our cost for electric then also receive $80,000 for SRECs per year giving us $100,000 to the bottom line," said Luke.

Solar Ice: Skating Arena will Chill its Ice with the Sun

What melts the ice will now produce the ice for a Massachusetts ice arena this summer.  Beaumont Solar designed, and is currently constructing a 792kW solar system consisting of 3,302 panels.  Nearly 1600 panels will be installed on the roof of the arena itself, and the remaining panels will be installed on a carport structure being erected by Beaumont.

The arena will eliminate what would normally be a huge monthly expense by generating 100% of its power solely from the sun, with a predicted annual system output of just over 899,000 kilowatt hours per year.  That's enough electricity to power 77 homes annually, and the environmental equivalent of removing 122 cars annually from the road.

Column attachment to concrete footing

With Massachusetts having one of the highest utility rates in the country, any business that relies heavily on electricity to power their operations can realize a significant financial benefit from generating their own solar power. 
 

Solar Carports offer Businesses More Solar ROI Options 

The volume of business owners turning to solar energy as a savings mechanism is certainly growing rapidly. However, not all businesses can adopt a rooftop solar renewable energy system to offset high utility costs. Many aspects of the buildings themselves can hinder a rooftop solar system including: 

 

 

 

  

• Lack of square footage necessary to fit the required sized system needed to offset their current electric usage.
• "Roof furniture" such as rooftop exhaust equipment and HVAC units.
• Structural integrity of the roof
• depending on when and how the building was constructed, the roof may not be able to structurally support the added weight of the panels and regulated snowload requirements.

The logical choice then is a ground array, right? Not necessarily. In some instances there is a "cost" associated with certain parcels of land in terms of for the next 20, 30 years or more, that land cannot be used for anything else. If you have adequate acreage, then use of the land is likely not an issue. But drainage requirements, soil types, and the unknowns of what you may run into when digging, required setbacks from adjacent boundaries, distance to the nearest 3-phase utility connection can all hinder a ground array as well.

 

So if a roof array and a ground array are not feasible, what options are left?

 

Well, business owners have now started to look at their asset that will likely continue to provide the same function that it does currently and not be used for something else; their parking areas.

  

Beaumont Solar erects the T-top beams that form the base of a solar carport array we are constructing on Cape Cod.

   

Solar carports create an energy saving, revenue generating system that does not alter the original function of a parking area, eliminating weight or building structural constraints (and your electric bill). Additionally, it offers a viable location for adding electric car charging stations now, or at a later time. Not to mention your customer and employees will appreciate the coverage from the elements your environmental conscious choice provides!

 

  

To investigate the feasibility of a solar carport structure at your business,contactBeaumont Solar's specialized sales and design team at 508-990-1701 

 

R&W Rope, New Bedford, MA Says "Goodbye Electric Bill!"