Allocate space on or around the building for solar arrays or wind turbines, and include this early in site plans and budget considerations.
Look for partnerships with local utilities and other groups who can purchase excess electricity. Some utilities are looking to encourage more existing facilities to generate electricity from renewable sources to increase their renewable portfolio. Also, they may be short on space to install their own system or need an experimental site for net metering.
Account for inflation and increases in utility costs over the next few years to obtain a realistic cost-benefit analysis, as ROI and payback are highly dependent on utility charges for conventional energy. Look up the costs of electricity in your state and projected price for the calculations. Also obtain the actual inflation rate current at the time of the ROI analysis. Retail residential electricity prices increased an estimated 8% during the first quarter of 2009 compared to the first quarter of 2008 according to a June 2009 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Onsite generation can reduce peak utility loads, reducing utility costs and need for electricity generation capacity. Utilities often encourage onsite generation and support it with subsidies and incentives.
Find out if net-metering is available in your area. Net metering allows you to feed power that your system generates into the electrical grid and get paid for that power. This allows you to use the grid as a battery, which saves the cost and hassle of installing and maintaining a battery system. (Without batteries, however, you won’t have back-up power to use in a power failure or idle periods). Typical PV, wind and other on site systems generate DC current which has to be stored for future use and converted to AC current for onsite application.
The owner and team establish goals for onsite renewable energy based on the initial assessment. Include goals in the Owner’s Project Requirements developed during early design for Fundamental (EAp1) and Enhanced (EAc3) commissioning.
If your project is located in the U.S., consult wind and solar maps developed by the Department of Energy (see Resources).
Cost is a huge issue for renewable energy installations. In initial assessments from the renewable energy provider, look for generation capacity estimates and a cost-benefit analysis for long-term operations. Some providers may offer an initial assessment at low or no cost.
Contact an experienced renewable energy provider who can provide generation capacity for solar, wind or hydro systems installed onsite in a pre-feasibility study and identify potential obstacles. It is easiest to locate the providers through the trade organizations or manufacturers. For example, a wind turbine manufacturer should be able to provide names of qualified vendors who can visit the site and provide a written feasibility report based on the site specific wind speed, hourly generation capacity, and major obstacles like neighboring buildings.
Conduct a preliminary cost-benefit analysis to determine the first cost and life cycle payback. Most teams use LEED point thresholds as a way to frame the analysis. For example, what is the cost and the payback of meeting the 1% threshold?