Solar Pergola Case Study: Costs and Details

Residential - April 2015

I'm a firm believer in renewable sources of energy and for me solar was the best fit. I'm still waiting for Duke Energy to connect my system to the grid. It's been over a month since the install was completed and the progress for connection is very very slow.

Quick Facts

Average Annual Savings

$2,400

Energy Needs Met

75% to 99%

of electricity

Net Investment

$28,000

Return on Investment

8.6%

Property

Owner:: Jon Neser
Type:: Residential
Address:: 8108 Brittains Filed Rd, Oak Ridge, NC 27310
Size:: 3,000 sq ft
Energy need met:: 75% to 99% of electricity

Technology

Type:: Solar PV
Installed:: April 2015
Size of System:: 15 kW
Purposes:: To generate electricity

Financial Details

Gross Cost of System:: $80,000
Value of Tax Credits:: $52,000
Net Cost of System:: $28,000
Annual Savings:: $2,400
Own or Lease:: Purchase with Loan
Additional Financial Notes:: Interest rates were low at the time of refinancing so I got a really good rate.

Professionals & Suppliers

Products:: SMA America
Installers:: Sunshine Saves Inc.
Financing:: Bank of Oak Rdige
Architects:: Accelerate Solar
Builders:: Accelerate Solar
Energy Auditors:: Accelerate Solar

What You Need to Know

Description:

My system is not a roof top type system. I felt a roof top system would not meet my needs so I opted for a solar system installed on top of a Pergola in my backyard. It consists of 55 Sunpreme PV panels and 3 Sunny Boy 5000TL-US inverters.

Other Benefits:

I'm very happy with the way the system turned out and can use the pergola for other functions.

Maintenance Requirements:

We haven't performed any maintenance on the system as of yet.

Efficiency or Sustainability Improvements:

n/a

My Motivation:

1. Clean and renewable energy. 2. Government rebates, both state and federal. 3. Environmental concerns.

Advice:

I wish I knew how slow the "paperwork process" was going to be. Especially the slow and sometimes confusing requirements from Duke Energy.

Experience with Installer:

There were issues with the installers but everything worked out. We passed all the necessary town and county inspections.

Additional Notes:

We had to re-route some of our septic fields to accommodate the solar pergola.

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