LANSING – Energy experts have dubbed 2016 as solar power’s breakthrough year, with an expected increase of 119 percent. Much of this increase has to do with the sharply falling installation costs. Being a clean, renewable, and low-cost energy source, it’s no surprise solar is becoming so popular. Here’s how your small business can reap the benefits of solar.

What You Can Do

You can schedule a solar assessment to determine if your small business is well-suited for rooftop solar or ground-mounted solar onsite. Sophisticated online tools using satellite imagery can make an initial determination of the solar viability of a building without anyone having to come onto your property. This makes for an affordable feasibility study. If you choose to move forward, you can get a more detailed onsite assessment to determine the design of a solar system as well as the economics (like ROI) of such an investment.  

If your business is not well-suited for rooftop solar, you may be able to find local community solar projects to participate in. Community solar allows various community members to share the benefits of solar power without having to install panels on their own property. Community solar parks are optimally located within a community, typically allowing participants to receive on-bill credits from their utility for their portion of the solar power generated from the array. Michigan Energy Options is developing several community solar projects in the Lower and Upper Peninsulas, with this work being recognized by the national Clean Energy Savings for All initiative

By Chelsea Stein, courtesy of Michigan Energy Options

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