One of the biggest expenses a business will run into is the cost of energy. In fact most businesses just assume that the cost of energy is an always present expense. This idea is so prevalent that the IRS actually has it as an itemized deduction. One interesting question posed on Reddit asked how much electricity would be created if major retailers used solar panels on their roofs. Based on research provided by the federal government and current tax laws, it appears that going solar for businesses not only reduces long terms costs greatly, but can also provide an additional source of energy and revenue for the entire company.
Total Energy Collection Potential
Total Energy Collection Potential
In order to determine whether or not going solar in Bryan roofing would be an economically prudent decision, we must first calculate the total possibility of energy yield. Using Walmart as an example, around 1/3rd of the roof area can be used for the solar installation. Obstacles such as skylights, beams, etc., will also influence the amount of surface area that can be used. According to Walmart, over 4600 stores exist in the US today. Different locations have different roof square areas. So in order to deduce the total amount of usable surface area, we multiply the surface area of each location by the number of locations. Then we add all of the square footage of all locations (location types) and multiply by 1/3rd.
Each panel will generate around 250 watts (adjusted average)/20 square feet. Bryan roofing is right on average due to the geographic location of Bryan, TX. The estimated power output would be around 5 GW. Using this ration and equation, a simple multiplication deduces that approximately 6.25TWh/year will be generated. This is enough energy to power over half a million homes, remove 625 billion cars off the road, or provide between .02-.55% of the total energy consumption in the US.
Of course there are other factors that affect the amount of energy collected like geographic location, angle of solar installation, total square footage available, energy production rates, and installation materials used.
Real World Example
It appears that some businesses do see the upside of investing in solar installations for their operations. One firm out of Hawaii actually installation a solar installation on a Walmart there and was able install a system of 1800 panels. The entire system eliminated a monthly energy bill of approximately $250,000.00 or $3 million/ year. This completely offset the costs of the installation and original investment, quickly bringing a great ROI.
A Scalable Future
As technology continues to improve, the efficiency of solar installations will only increase, saving more money over time for new solar installations. Not only will the efficiencies allow for more energy to be produced, but also make it even more affordable for smaller businesses. Returns on investment for small businesses take longer because they typically have smaller useable areas to mount solar panels. Bryan roofing contractor.
Additionally, the tax benefits to small businesses for implementing an energy efficient solution can help offset early costs as they can be proportionately more important to the small business than the large ones. Be sure to check with your municipalities, both Bryan, TX and College Station, TX, to find out what tax savings your business could also enjoy. Schulte Roofing is a local Bryan roofing contractor with 18 years of expertise in residential, commercial, and solar roofing.