Early 2018, Stanion’s Kansas City branch moved to their current location. It was the largest facility of the 17 Stanion branches and it was intended to be a central hub to support Stanion’s growing Kansas City market. Corporate leadership inquired about supplementing their energy use with rooftop solar, but it wasn’t until 2019 when they better understood the facility energy demands that they request an evaluation of the potential for solar.
The Stanion Clean Energy Team and Technical Specialist provided a Solar Feasibility Report which outlined the Facility Energy Profile, Utility Interconnection Standards, Sample Solar Array and Annual Solar Production Simulation, Financial Incentives, 25-year Cash Flow Summary and Return on Investment Projection. The Board of Directors held a meeting with the solar specialist who answered their questions and reviewed the potential project timeline. The board decided to take the next steps: choosing the array location and preparing interconnection and permit documents.
Options were considered: ground mount, carport canopy for the parking lot, and roof top. Cost considerations and potential risk of damage from vehicles led to the roof-mounted decision. It was further encouraged by the ability to clamp the array to the standing seams of the metal roof to avoid penetrations. Occupied buildings must ensure structural capacity before installing solar modules. The building was constructed in the 1990s, but load specifications for the roof could not be verified by the construction documents. A local structural engineering evaluated the roof and signed off on our plan. The maximum array size allowed by the Board of Public Utility (BPU) on a commercial facility is a 100kW DC. Production simulations of systems this size predicted the offset of more than 1/3rd of the of the building’s current energy use.
The design phase went smoothly. Stanion received bids from a few of our solar contractor customers for the installation. The biggest challenge was the interconnection application with BPU. At the time, BPU received very few solar applications and even fewer commercial projects. With some explanation and education, Stanion was approved.
100kW Solar Array- Installed Summer 2020
* 294- Photovoltaic (PV) solar modules- 340w 72 cell US-Made Mission Solar
* Solaredge Synergy 100kW 480V Inverter with Optimizers – optimizers allow solar modules to perform independently and to monitor the voltage amperage and temperature of each module. Optimizers provide module level Rapid Shut Down, reducing the voltage in the array to less than 30v in 30 seconds in the event of an outage or emergency disconnection.
* Unirac Solar Mount – using standing seam clamps to secure it to the roof without penetrations.
* Solaredge Consumption Meter – allows us to monitor not only what the inverter produces but how much of the solar energy is consumed within the build and how much we consume from the grid.
* Public Monitoring Views- allow Stanion to display the current performance of the array online and at our Kansas City sales counter.
Array monitoring platforms collect many levels of data, which can be configured by views and reports to analyze the data. Some are organized by units of time from minutes to years. It can also capture details of the array on a granular level: inverter, source circuit or module, as well as by power, voltage, and current. Playback models can show how shading or soiling might affect daily or seasonal production. It can also identify potentially underperforming components and provide an email alert to the owner and installer in the event of system errors.
First Year Performance and Savings (Sept 1, 2020 - Aug 31, 2021)
* First 12-month production - 133,600 kWh (133.6MWH)
* Overall reduction in Utility Charges - $11,623
* 32% Reduction in Energy Charges
* 7.9% Reduction in Facility Charge
* 23.4% Reduction in Demand Charge
To put this production into perspective, the average Kansas home consumes 11,080kWh per year.
The 100kW rooftop array is expected to produce 3,198MWH in the next 25 years. This is backed by a 25-year linear performance warranty from the manufacturer.
Stanion’s Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE)
If we consider the net cost of the system after incentives, 26% Investment Tax Credit and 100% bonus depreciation year one (30% ITC at the time if this installation), Stanion’s array produces a kWh of energy for $.027/kWh, while the blended cost per kWh from the local utility is currently $.087/kWh and expected to rise on average 3.7% annually. The investment insured a large portion Stanion KC’s energy expense and protects against the increasing cost of energy.
First Year Summary
Overall, the project performance, financial savings, and system longevity is proving to meet or exceed expectations. The Kansas City branch has grown considerably with the addition of personnel and investment in new equipment, like a 40 HP wire cutting machine which results in higher demand for energy. More branch solar projects are in the works with the latest and greatest technology.
