The dentist of a medium-sized practice in Northern California had recently moved to a new location and purchased a lot of equipment for his practice.  He knew his electricity bill was going to go up substantially because of this. Even though he felt going solar would be a great solution, he was still concerned that he would not be able to afford it because “solar is expensive.”

The Challenge

How could the dentist afford to install a solar system when he had just spent a large sum on new equipment for his practice and was going to have to pay much higher monthly PG&E bills? DC Solar Electric took this challenge and provided a quote to help him to understand that solar pays for itself from the very first month, has crazy return on investment (ROI), and with Tax Incentives, the payment for the solar system would be less than his current PG&E payment.

The Solar Solution

DC Solar Electric proposed a 64-panel system that would offset 99.28% of his electrical demand.  Based on this solution, we provided a quote laying out the tax incentives, monthly payment amount with specialized financing, and estimated cost of reduced PG&E bills.  The tax incentives for his system included a Federal Tax Credit of $16,885, State (CA) 10-yr Depreciation of $5,195, and Federal 100% Bonus Depreciation of $11,864. This amounted to a savings of $33,944. That decreased the cost of his solar system by 52%!  In addition, he would save nearly $500k over a 25-year period, with only a 3.5 year payback period on his financing.

With this data, the dentist realized that going solar was not only possible, he would actually be saving money.

The Results

The new 27,200W-DC solar system is expected to generate 36,565 kWh (kilowatt hours) every year, which will offset 99.28% of the business’s annual electrical demand. By reducing this business expense, the dental office’s revenue increases while decreasing their environmental footprint.

Solar Specifications

• Electricity Now Supplied by Solar:  99.28%
• System Size:  27,200W-DC
• Solar Panels:  64 Qcell 425w panels made in America
• Inverter: Generac APKE-00013
• Mounting System: Roof Racking

Don’t Believe the Myths

Thinking of going solar for your business? Don’t get caught up in the “solar is expensive” myth.  As PG&E commercial rates increase at a rate of about 7% per year, the short and long term benefits of solar are just too great to ignore. The truth is you can’t afford to not go solar! Contact us today for your free quote.