1. -$15,000.00
-$10,000.00
-$5,000.00
$0.00
$5,000.00
$10,000.00
Feasibility of Residential Solar InstallationsFeasibility of Residential Solar Installations
in the Idaho Panhandlein the Idaho Panhandle
Jesse McIntoshJesse McIntosh
IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction
●In US, photovoltaic systems (PV)/solar power
are becoming more cost and energy efficient
●More homeowners converting their homes
to solar financial and environmental benefits
●Different states get varying efficiency due to
number of variables
RESEARCH AIM: The objective of this
collection of information is to evaluate the
feasibility of residential solar installations in
the Idaho Panhandle which consists of Idaho's
ten northernmost counties (Benewah,
Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho,
Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and
Shoshone).
●Each county has avg. residential installation
cost of $4.50/W for a standard 5-kW system
●5-kW system = (20) 250W standard efficiency
panels (15-18%)
●Avg. Panhandle home consumes 1,010
kWh/month or 12,120 kWh/year
●Annual avg. full sun hours in Panhandle: 4.2
hours
●5-kW system in Panhandle generates 7,665
kWh/year (63.24% of annual electricity
consumption)
Cumulative Annual Profit
5-kW Solar Purchase ($21,250)
EXPLANATION
●$21,250 up-front
●30% federal tax credit = $14,875
●ID state tax deduction savings ($370/year for 4 years) = $14,505
●Average annual energy savings = $643
●16 year payback time
●$9228 profit at end of system's life
PROS
●Net Metering
●State and Federal Tax Credits
●$0.10/kWh electricity prices
●5-kW adds $15,000 to home value
CONS
●No Renewable Portfolio Standard/Solar
Carve-Out/Solar Rebates/Performance
Payments
●Inconsistent Interconnection Policies
●No Sales/Property Tax Exemptions
●Recent tariff will increase residential
installation by $1000
●Idaho receives ≈80% of electricity
hydroelectric dams
●Avg. hydropower station has CH4
output of
70g CO2
equivalent/kWh
●Avg. solar panel produces ≈50g CO2
/kWh.
●Silicon solar cells, metal frame, glass sheet,
etc.
●After avg. of 3 years, solar panel pays back
CO2
emissions through unused fossil fuels
●5-kW system saves CO2
equivalent of 108
trees planted/year
●South-facing roof for max
sun
●Clear of obstacles (buildings,
trees, etc.)
●245 ft2
sun-exposed roof for
5-kW system
●Obtain quotes from multiple
solar installers
●Not meant for all homes
●In Idaho's Panhandle, financial benefits may
not outweigh out-of-pocket costs
●PV systems in Panhandle must typically
operate for 10+ years before they become
profitable
●Panhandle's solar potential not as good as
other US regions
●Environmentally-conscious customers can
still enjoy benefits of PV system
Figure 1: Number of years it takes on avg. for PV system to payback and become profitable after out-of-pocket
purchase.
Cumulative Annual Profit – Total annual profit of PV system combined with each preceding year
Spring 2018 FOR 490-01: The Resilient Landscape Term Project – Andrew Kliskey
MetricsMetricsMetricsMetrics
Financial Costs & BenefitsFinancial Costs & BenefitsFinancial Costs & BenefitsFinancial Costs & Benefits Environmental AnalysisEnvironmental AnalysisEnvironmental AnalysisEnvironmental Analysis
ConclusionConclusionConclusionConclusion
SuggestionsSuggestionsSuggestionsSuggestions
