Honestly, I don’t believe any of the numbers in the story. It indicates $300k is 8% of their use...meaning this hospital spends $10k per day for electricity, which is impossible. So the payback period is suspect, IMHO.
And, frankly, after reading stories on multiple solar projects, one thing is ALWAYS true - they over-project how much energy they will produce. Every single time. So again, I an suspect of the numbers.
The story always throws in a line about building a 7 ft fence - given the scale of this thing, that alone is going to cost near a million dollars....and isn’t included in the payback calculation.
Nor is the opportunity cost of the money, which is surely borrowed.
And the panels themselves may ‘last’...but they will have to be cleaned. And, these are the type that move with the sun to gain better efficiency - frankly an electric motor exposed to the elements will be lucky to survive a decade.
And we haven’t even begun to think about the equipment that stores and converts the power to ac....another item for which ten years is probably a lifetime.
The market tells me these won’t save the VA any money. If they really did save money, the private company I work for would put these up on the roof...instead we have a government agency doing it.
“Honestly, I don’t believe any of the numbers in the story. It indicates $300k is 8% of their use”
You are correct that the 8% seems to be an error. But the same paragraph lists minimum and peak uses that appear realistic.
“And, frankly, after reading stories on multiple solar projects, one thing is ALWAYS true - they over-project how much energy they will produce.”
Predicting the output of an experimental power tower like Ivanpah of which there is no other quite like it in the world is not like predicting a standard PV installation of which 100 BILLION watts have been installed.
The project costs should include the fence. Borrowed costs of money are standard to calculate into the project.
“And, these are the type that move with the sun to gain better efficiency “
I don’t know where you get that. The picture shows fixed frame installation.
The inverters typically have a ten year warranty sometimes extendable for a small fee. The cost of an inverter replacement on an already installed system is VERY small compared to the cost of the system.
You are needlessly second guessing an industry with a hundred billion watts of installation history.