Alectric Renewables: Commercial Solar Net Metering Experts since 2015

Net metering is ideal for any business which uses more than 150,000 kWh per year in its operations, especially those in manufacturing, warehousing, and larger corporate office spaces.

The return on investment for solar power improves with economies of scale. As systems get larger, the installed cost of every KW of generation capacity decreases, up to a point. Systems 150KW and larger can make economic sense.

No. But if you use electricity in your business, you can generate electricity from solar panels installed on your building and use this electricity in your business. The value per delivered kWh ranges from about 11 to 15 cents.

Yes. All are tax incentives. There are no capital cost subsidies per se. The Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit provides a deduction of 30% of the capital cost of the solar project from Taxes Payable. The balance of the system can be written off at an accelerated rate, which reduces your Taxable Income.

Probably yes. All commercial buildings are designed with a certain amount of structural ‘reserve capacity’ under the Ontario Building Code. A site visit can reveal potential points of concern. We undertake a structural engineering analysis of the building which is used to support a Building Permit with the local municipality.

We only install solar panels on roofs which are in good repair, and which should not need to be replaced within the next ten years, at a minimum. If your roof needs to be replaced – we do that too! It’s good to combine a roof replacement and a solar energy installation.

No. The rain cleans dirt and dust from solar panels periodically. Our energy model takes losses due to soiling and due to snowfall into account. If one were to pay for labor to wash dust from modules or sweep snow from modules, the labor cost would exceed the value of excess energy delivered. 

Yes. Solar generation systems produce at their maximum design capacity in the summer months, and less when the days are shorter, and when the sun is lower in the sky. When there is a snow fall, the systems will not generate electricity. But sunshine melts snow off solar panels, and they begin to generate electricity again. 

A solar project typically takes about 12 months to develop. Between three to six months can be spent in engineering and waiting for the permission of the local utility to connect to the grid. Installation times vary, based on the size of the system. Final inspections and obtaining permission to generate can also take a couple of months. Project development times vary depending on the local utility and municipality. 

There are several warranties. Alectric Renewables offers a 5 year Workmanship Warranty, conditional upon a 5 Year Operations and Maintenance Agreement. Otherwise, we offer a 1 year warranty on workmanship. Solar PV modules now have a 30 year performance guarantee, and a 12 year manufacturer’s warranty covering manufacturer’s defects. Solar inverters and solar racking systems have a ten year product warranty. 

No. Most of our systems on flat roofs are entirely ballasted. The solar racking – the steel and aluminum structure the solar panels are attached to – simply sits on a set of rubber pads, which sit on the roof membrane. Concrete ballast blocks weigh down the system to reduce wind uplift. We avoid penetrating roofs with roof anchors. When we do need to penetrate a roof membrane, a qualified roofing contractor always seals the penetration and warranties the work.