flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Turn rooftops into revenue generators with solar arrays

Codes and Standards

Turn rooftops into revenue generators with solar arrays

Lease or ownership models for PVs make more sense than ever.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | November 4, 2020

Courtesy Pixabay

The benefits of installing solar arrays on the rooftops of commercial buildings continue to grow.

Reduced hard costs due to falling prices, along with a more favorable regulatory environment, have magnified potential income from rooftop solar. The most common financial arrangement has been for the property owner to own the solar system, pay for the installation, and use the energy generated by the system to offset utility costs via net metering.

Another option is a solar site lease model. The owner of the property leases roof space to an experienced solar developer that finances and owns the solar array. The owner of the property makes money from rooftop lease payments—typically for 20+ years.

A similar option to solar site leases is a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), in which the property owner signs a contract to purchase electricity generated by the array at rates below the utility retail rate. The solar developer pays for the system and uses the roof space at no cost.

Beyond such direct financial benefits, rooftop solar can help properties achieve compliance with ever more stringent environmental regulations. For example, some jurisdictions have passed laws that will penalize buildings that have not taken steps to reduce their carbon emissions.

Related Stories

| Jul 26, 2012

Wisconsin may establish stormwater storage requirement for green roofs

Green roofs and other green infrastructure would be required to capture stormwater under a draft state wastewater discharge permit from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

| Jul 26, 2012

SouthPark Mall in Charlotte reopens after heavy rains collapse part of its roof

Code enforcement officials in Charlotte, NC gave the okay for the SouthPark Mall to reopen after two parts of its roof collapsed following heavy rains last week.

| Jul 26, 2012

New NRCA photovoltaic roof systems guidelines released

The National Roofing Contractors Association’s update of its Guidelines for Roof Systems With Rooftop Photovoltaic Components is now available.

| Jul 26, 2012

DOE/ASHRAE design guide aims to cut energy use at hospitals, schools, retail stores

The Advanced Energy Design Guidelines from the Department of Energy and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers aims to provide ways for hospitals, schools, and large retail buildings to trim their energy consumption by 50%.

| Jul 19, 2012

Bayview Property Managers agrees to record $800,000 building code fine

A San Francisco property-management company has agreed to pay a record $800,000 civil fine for hundreds of building code violations at rental properties.

| Jul 19, 2012

Glass ‘biodome’ helps Parkview Green FangCaoDi project in Beijing achieve LEED Platinum

A glass envelope acting as a kind of biodome encapsulates four mixed-use towers at Parkview Green FangCaoDi, an 800,000 sf mixed-use development in Beijing. The glass structure helped the development to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

| Jul 19, 2012

UMass-Boston's Bevington: 'Financing alternatives crucial to energy-efficiency upgrades'

It’s conceivable that innovation in project finance can do for building efficiency in the coming century what 30-year mortgages did for home ownership in the last, this article asserts.  

| Jul 19, 2012

NYC eases building code to create ‘micro apartments’ in Kips Bay

New York City has implemented a program to encourage construction of "micro-apartments" in the Big Apple, where rents are exorbitant and the number of singles is on the rise.

| Jul 19, 2012

NRCA: Roofing insulation performance, local climate keys to computing R-value

To minimize the loss of thermal resistance in design, the R-value of roof insulation should be computed based on the actual performance of the insulation material and the local climate, says the National Roofing Contractors Association.

| Jul 16, 2012

Business school goes for maximum vision, transparency, and safety with fire rated glass

Architects were able to create a 2-hour exit enclosure/stairwell that provided vision and maximum fire safety using fire rated glazing that seamlessly matched the look of other non-rated glazing systems.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021