Solar Array Installation at the Macdowell Colony

Case Study

Solar Array Installation at the MacDowell Colony

The cost of solar energy systems fell 50% between 2009 and 2014 and during this same period the efficiency of solar panels increased about 2%/year. Federal and State incentives have been in place for many years to encourage private installation of solar panels. Because most of these incentives come in the form of tax relief, non-profit organizations have historically been unable to access these savings.

MacDowell found a firm that specializes in building photovoltaic arrays for charitable, educational and government organizations. Their business model works this way: a non-profit enters into a power purchase agreement with the solar firm, committing to buy all the electricity generated by the PV array. The solar firm realizes the tax benefits, passing some of those savings on to the non-profit when negotiating the cost per kWh. After construction, the solar firm retains ownership of the PV array, renting the meadow or roof space from the non-profit for a nominal amount. For MacDowell, the negotiated solar rate was set equal to the current NH public utility cost per kWh. After six years from activation, there are no further tax incentives available so the solar company has offered MacDowell the option of purchasing the solar array at a significant discount from the initial construction cost. If not purchased after six years, a new power purchase agreement will be negotiated and things will continue the same as the first six years.

For those interested in the specifics, MacDowell engaged ReVision Energy and they brought an investment partner, IGS Solar, thus providing a turnkey solar solution. ReVision installed the solar array and provides maintenance as specified in the contract.

State by state regulations and incentives vary; seek legal counsel before signing any long term power purchase agreement as they are binding contracts.

www.igssolarpower.com

www.revisionenergy.com

Definitions

Energy Consultant, Energy Engineer, Sustainable Architect, Sustainable Designer

Some consultants or architects have a Masters degree in Sustainable Design. Johns Hopkins publishes a list of 59 schools with this curriculum: sustainabilitydegrees.com/degrees/sustainable-architecture-design/

Consultants in certification in Passive House Design can design a Certified Passive House, meaning that it will be built with stringent energy use caps. You can find certified consultants here: http://www.phius.org/home-page

The Building Performance Institute (BPI) publishes a list of certified Building Analysts, Building Envelope Specialists and contractors. http://www.bpihomeowner.org/

Energy Auditor

Less study is needed to become certified as an energy auditor. Energy auditing includes blower door testing and other building performance tests that evaluate actual building performance (rather than R-values associated with various building methods). While not necessary in deep energy retrofit, an energy audit before renovation can provide data that helps make the case for fundraising.