A certain 15,400 sq ft building in Milford, CT would accept a 144kW system.
The retail price tag would be $289,062.68, and the federal tax break is
$28,906.27 for a net cost of $260,156.41 If we ignore any other capital
incentive, the payback for this system occurs in the middle of the 7th
year. This assumes a modest 5%/yr increase in the price of electricity,
it was 22% in 2006 and will be another 5-7% in 2007.
To put this into perspective, if over the next 12 years, the building would
spend ~ $100,000 or earn ~$270,000
Clearly an opportunity decision is in order... however, there is a small
detail that has remained hidden until now. Because the demand for
electricity is growing, and the supply is not growing fast enough to meet it,
there are state incentive programs that can alter the decision.
For this hypothetical commercial installation, there is a rebate that can
be obtained from the state of Connecticut. Coincidentally it is $260,156.41
giving the system a net cost of $0.00! The payback is immediate,
and over the same 12 year period, the owner will earn ~$530,000 ( including
the value of the capital equipment and the cash from the power produced )
We believe this is such a significant shift in the cost/benefit analysis,
that no reasonable customer can say the opportunity cost is unfavorable.
