Commercial Solar
SOLAR INSTALLATION + DESIGN IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Solar Net Metering for Business
The net metering program is designed for those who generate electricity for their own use. When you generate more than you need, you feed it back to the grid and get a bill credit towards your future electricity use. When you don’t generate enough to meet your needs, you buy it from the utility company.
In BC, all utility companies implement a net metering billing system. Net metering credits customers for the electricity generated by their solar energy system. The generating capacity of the system is designed to only offset some or all of your consumption. Energy production is limited to what is required to offset your expected annual energy consumption.
How it works
The solar energy is always used first. As the solar array produces electricity it serpentines through the breaker panel powering whatever is required. If the system is producing more energy than is being used, the excess goes back to the grid and is credited to the customer’s account for future use. If you need more electricity than you are producing, the grid feeds your building energy. The customer is only billed for the “net” energy used from the grid.
If you still have generation credits at your anniversary date the utility will pay you for the excess electricity at the market price.
As part of our service, Energy Economics completes and submits the net metering application on your behalf and once construction is complete, we submit the Interconnection Agreement for final approval.
Microgrids
At Energy Economics, we believe that everyone should have access to reliable and affordable energy. We design, develop and construct solar PV micro-grids across British Columbia – making them strong, resilient, energy independent and sustainable.
As one of the most exciting and fastest-growing segments of the solar industry, microgrids have come to be realized by the evolution of larger battery bank systems in a smaller footprint, and the scalability of both lead-acid and lithium solutions.
A microgrid is a self-contained electrical network that allows you to generate your own electricity on-site and use it when you need it most. A microgrid is thus a type of distributed energy resource. You can operate microgrids while connected to the utility grid or in disconnected “island” mode.
Anywhere critical infrastructure requires a dependable source of electricity can utilize a microgrid set up: in the event of a grid failure, where power demands must seamlessly integrate with their electric utility, back-up generators, and active on-site supply all programmed with a dynamic software intelligence.
When the grid goes down or electricity prices peak, microgrids respond. A well-designed system is good for the environment and your bottom line.
- Payback periods can range from 5-8 years.
- Funding, Grants & Financing Options Available.
- Now Specializing in systems ranging from $500,000 – $5,000,000.
- More Solar + Less Diesel = Increased Profits.
Solar Carports and EV Charging Stations
Solar carports enhance the space they occupy and the solar production will act as a funding method for the actual infrastructure. They can provide shade, EV charging, savings on your electricity bills, along with showcasing your sustainability values. Businesses will experience the benefits including increased positive publicity and your customers will tell their friends about your solar carport.
Solar carports can be purpose built solar structures or retro-fitted facilities. Carports can be installed in parking lots, providing covered parking and protecting cars from the weather. Additionally, they can improve the aesthetic appeal of a parking lot, making it more attractive to visitors. They can reduce the carbon footprint of vehicles, as they enable electric vehicles to be charged with renewable energy. Additionally, they help reduce heat island effects, which are caused by large areas of concrete or asphalt and can increase temperatures in urban areas.
A well-designed solar carport is good for the environment, and your bottom line.
Agricultural Solar
Solar and agriculture are a great combination. Farmers are always innovating, looking for cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions.
We help farmers to diversify their income with renewable energy generation while keeping land in agricultural use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Solar has been shown to support biodiversity. As well, ground mounted solar on farms can help to improve the health of the soil, support native species (bees, butterflies), and reduce water use (source: Solar Multi-Use Farming Practises Factsheet; National Renewable Energy Laboratory).
Solar energy draws parallels to farming. You “make hay when the sun shines” except the solar season is a lot longer than harvest season. From March to October, your solar panels will produce the majority of its’ energy. You can store this energy in the form of net metering credits (or in a battery bank) to be used in the Fall and Winter when your system is not producing as much.
Agrivoltaics
An emerging trend in solar is the combination of solar panels and agriculture, dubbed “agrivoltaics”or “agrisolar”. Studies have shown clear economic advantages for certain crops including berries, tomatoes, leafy greens, as well as honey (bees) and sheep. An agrivoltaic system provides shade and cooling for the crops while also reducing energy bills on the farm. As an added benefit, evaporation from the plants can act to cool the solar array increasing its’ efficiency.
Farmers have been experts of harnessing and using solar energy for thousands of years. Almost every form of agriculture involves the use of the sun, efficiently converting the energy to produce forms of energy we need for life.
In recent years, rising electricity costs have added to the escalating overheads affecting farmers and the profitability of their businesses. It therefore shouldn’t come as any surprise that farmers and landholders in British Columbia are starting to realize the potential of using unused roof space of solar panels for farm buildings or parcels of relatively unproductive land.
These can be perfect for solar PV installations to generate your own electricity, cut fuel bills and potentially have an additional income stream to support your business. In fact, there’s a large number of solar farmers already reaping the financial rewards from this technology.