to keep energy costs down might consider weighing the
advantages of such systems against the hefty upfront cost
of installation.
SUnny foreCaSt
The most common solar technology for commercial and
residential buildings is solar electric technology—also
referred to as photovoltaic. Photovoltaic technology uses
solar panels, typically placed on rooftops or mounted in
the ground, to convert sunlight into direct current electricity.
That electricity passes through an inverter, converts
into an alternating current, and then moves to a breaker
box, providing an interconnection point to the consumer
or grid. The electricity is then transferred into power for
a property’s electricity needs, just like standard electric
power.
Power is still transmitted through wall outlets like in
typical properties, and lighting systems still turn on and
off the same way. In fact, solar electric power typically just
offsets the amount of electricity needed from standard
sources—so properties don’t go without power at night or
on a bleak day.
As a result, solar power can work in just about any
geographic location. According to ASES, the national
leaders for solar power are California, New Jersey and
Colorado, with California claiming close to two-thirds of
all U.S. solar installations. The number one country for
solar energy is Germany, which has the same latitude as
Anchorage, Alaska.
“If Germany can do it, clearly any state in the U.S. can
do it,” said Neal Lurie, spokesman for ASES. “There is no
question that with perfectly sunny skies you’ll produce
more energy. But, even on a cloudy day in Chicago, you’ll
generate energy using that same amount of sunlight that
allows you to differentiate between day and night.”
Most solar properties are looking to offset about 10 to 30
percent of their energy usage with solar power. At Wayne
National Forest headquarters near Nelsonville, Ohio, the
energy collected from its 302-panel, 60,000-kilowatt roof-
top solar system is expected to generate 30 to 34 percent
of the building’s electricity during the sunniest months,
and an estimated 15 to 20 percent of the facility’s energy
needs annually.
It is possible to conserve even more energy, though.
The Peter A. and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, in Napa,
Calif., has a 125-kilowatt system atop a carport, as well
as on the roof of its 22,000-square-foot office building. The property’s solar system has allowed the Gasser
Foundation to offset 90 percent of its energy consumption
from the electric grid.
“If you do a solar installation and you’re only getting 3
to 5 percent of [your] energy use out of it, I don’t think
that’s really enough,” said Nicholas E. Stolatis, CPM®,
RPA, director of strategic initiatives asset management for
Global Real Estate at TIAA-CREF in New York.
