FAQ

In general, panels come with a 10-15 year workmanship warranty and a 30 year power output warranty.

System sizes typically come in between 4-7psf. HOLT Renewables will always send a Structural Engineer to the site to confirm and sign off on roof loads prior to installation.

This depends on your monthly/annual energy consumption. 12 months of electric utility bills is a good starting point to determining how much solar is needed to offset your electrical usage.

No, per national electric code – if the power goes out your inverters will automatically shut off as a protective measure to those that may be working to restore power. However, if you install battery storage your inverters and solar can continue to produce since the power can be directed to the batteries instead of the grid.

Most of the time the solar is tied into your main electrical room / switchgear via a back fed breaker or line side tap. When evaluating your facility for solar we look at your single line diagram (if available) or we send out an electrician to open up your gear to determine the best approach.

Economic return can vary by state and utility. Solar offsets kWh charges on your bill, so the higher the kWh charges, typically the better returns.

Exporting energy to the utility grid is often not beneficial, as most utilities compensate exports at a rate much lower than what they sell the power to you at. Annual true-up net metering can potentially avoid this, where you overproduce in the summer, and those credits get applied in the winter. However, many utilities are dropping this option. Holt will determine the optimal system size for your situation.

Financing options are readily available to help alleviate the cost to entry point of large solar systems. Different options for different situations are utilized for the optimal situation for your company’s fiscal outlook as well as market conditions. Holt will present these options and walk you through how each one works, allowing you to make the best-informed decision.

There are 3 main levels of incentives for solar/battery/microgrid projects: Federal, State, and Utility/Local governing body. Federal incentives consist of ITC (Investment Tax Credit), plus adders. The base ITC is 30% of the project cost that is applied to your company’s tax liability at a 1:1 rate. The adders consist of energy community and domestic content, each at an additional 10% ITC. State incentives can include no tax on material or funds allocated to pay X amount per KW of system size. Utility or local governing body incentives are typically smaller in nature but can still be a worthwhile benefit. These may include net metering or small KW (capacity-based) payments. Holt will compile all the eligible incentives and include them in your custom feasibility study.

Yes, federal solar incentives are scheduled to phase out in the coming years. To maintain the full value of ITC, projects under 1.5MWAC must safe-harbor 5% of the project costs before July 5, 2026 OR be completed before the end of 2027. For projects over 1.5MWAC, physical construction (understood as installation of the solar racking) must begin before July 5, 2026 OR be completed by the end of 2027. It may seem like there is plenty of time to be completed by those deadlines, but large C&I solar projects can take 1-2 years from contract to commissioning of the system.

A typical roof top solar array does not require much maintenance due to the system being free of many moving parts. However, it is recommended to have the solar panels cleaned if you are in an area prone to a high potential for soiling. It is also recommended to have the systems electrical characteristics checked annually just to ensure you are getting the most out of your investment.

Exporting energy to the utility grid is often not beneficial, as most utilities compensate exports at a rate much lower than what they sell the power to you at. Annual true-up net metering can potentially avoid this, where you overproduce in the summer, and those credits get applied in the winter. However, many utilities are dropping this option. Holt will determine the optimal system size for your situation.

Location and angel of incident from the sun. For example, a system in Southern California is going to experience much more sunlight and clear weather days throughout a year than a system in Washington State (longer days in the summer but shorter days in the winter due to being a higher latitude). Potential of shading also plays a big factor in the expected output – it is important to try and install a solar array free from shading for most, if not all, of an entire day.

This varies depending on many factors including – but not limited to – size, location, existing electrical infrastructure on site. Each site is unique and customized. At HOLT, we can give guidance early in the process on what our expected installation time would be based on initial data collected.

Fortunately, as the industry has matured so has the number of resources available for end of life equipment. There are quite a few organizations that recycle panels and equipment at the end of life.

There are many different options and capabilities of battery storage:

Resiliency, battery storage can be used to provide electricity in the event of a power outage. When a battery is installed alongside solar panels – both the solar and the batteries can be available during a power outage.

However, when solar is installed stand alone without a battery the solar is not allowed to produce during a power outage, per National Electric Code.

Energy Savings, batteries + solar can be used for energy savings whereas, the battery can store power during times when the cost of electricity is at its lowest and dispatch when the cost of electricity is at its highest – allowing you to avoid purchasing electricity from the grid during high cost hours