increasing by 50% per annum, but that the supply will outpace it at 80% growth per year. “This

increasing by 50% per annum, but that the supply will outpace it at 80% growth per year. “This should be putting some downward pressure on prices,” he says.48 There are many companies working hard to bring down the cost of solar energy, and continue a trend that has gone on for a long time. Some of the first solar panels cost nearly $1800 per watt, while today people are striving to break the barrier of $1.00 per watt. Below is a graph showing the cost of solar panel installations in Japan since 1993.
48 http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/06/05/brighter-future-for-solar-panels-silicon-shortage-eases/ 49 http://www.solarbuzz.com/statsCosts.htm

Figure 27: Graph showing the falling cost of PV installations in Japan. 49 Though the graph is in Yen per Watt, the trend is a worldwide trend. The cost of solar panel systems is falling. Though it is difficult to predict exactly when solar panels will reach these predicted levels, one would expect that it will not be a long wait.

Appendix J: Scale Model
In order to create a better visual representation of the roof space and the shading throughout the day, a model was constructed. Along with this model was an arced piece of thin copper tubing with a light socket mounted to it. The base of the copper was hinged so that a combination of moving the arc up and down along with sliding the light from side to side approximated the sun at different times of day and the different times of the year. In a dark room, the 67-watt bulb provided enough light to get a good imitation of the shade. To further the experiment, a small solar cell was connected to a small LED and could be moved around to demonstrate how well light was absorbed at different locations on the roof. An added benefit of the model was its use in presentation to the church. By using the model as a presentation aid, potential panel locations the members of the church had a better idea of what would happen if they were to have the panels installed. See pictures of the model on the next page.
photo.jpg


photo1.jpg
PICT0951Appendix K: Site Pictures


PICT0947PICT0957











PICT0958
Appendix L: Simplified Economic Spreadsheet
In order for the church to re-evaluate investing in a photovoltaic system in the future, we created a simplified version of our economic spreadsheet using assumptions from our project. The three primary variables in this spreadsheet have been reduced to the overall cost per watt of the system, the proposed system size, and whether or not the solar panel components are manufactured in Massachusetts. The overall cost per watt would be given as a quote from an installer. If the solar panels are manufactured in Massachusetts, the rebate offered by Commonwealth Solar increases. The assumptions portion of the spreadsheet lists the various systems, economic, and rebate assumptions that were made in order to calculate the overall feasibility of the system. These assumptions can also be changed to see what different assumptions have on the overall feasibility. One factor of particular interest is the income generated by renewable energy credits. Because at the time of the report the future of such credits was uncertain, this number may change. The calculations section of the spreadsheet lists the raw system cost, the amount realized from the Commonwealth Solar rebate, the system cost after rebates are applied, the amount of energy the system would produce in a given year, how much savings this energy generation would translate to, and the number of years before this investment breaks even. The other pages of the spreadsheet are used as tools to help calculate the energy that the system would generate, and the value of the system as an investment. Below is a sample of the spreadsheet with $8.00 per watt and a system size of 20kW.
Solar Feasibility Analysis for the Wesley United Methodist Church




Entry Section:



Overall System Cost Per Watt:
$8.00
dollars / Watt

System Size:
20000
Watts

Solar Panels Manufactured in Massachusetts:
NO
YES / NO





Assumptions:







System Assumptions:



System Life Expectancy:
25
years

Yearly Performance Degradation:
0.50%
%

Efficiency of Solar Panels:
15.00%
%

DC to AC derating factor:
79.49%
%





Economic Assumptions:



REC Revenue per Watt:
$0.00
dollars

REC Annual Cost Adjuster:
4.00%
%

Yearly Energy Consumption:
102000
kWh

Cost of Electricity:
$0.16
dollars

Electricity Cost Inflation:
0.60%
%

Overall Inflation:
3.29%
%





MTC Assumptions:



System Size:
0 to 25 kW
25 to 100 kW

Base Incentive:
$3.25
$3.00

MA Component Adder:
$0.25
$0.25

Incremental Capacity:
20000
0





Calculations:



Raw System Cost:
$160,000.00
dollars

Rebate Amount:
$65,000.00
dollars

System Cost:
$95,000.00
dollars

Yearly Energy Generation:
27248
kWh

First Year Energy Production Value:
$4,359.68
dollars

Break Even Year:
22
years



Appendix M: Informational Brochure
To create a simple way to showcase the work we have done and our results, we created a brochure, which can be seen below:


Appendix N: Survey
Below is a listing of the questions that made up the survey given to our presentation audience: Do you believe that investing in renewable energy is important? If so, Why? What kind of image do you think a solar panel installation would give Wesley United Methodist Church? Would you install a solar panel system if there was no economic incentive to do so? In other words, if installing a solar panel system would have only have environmental benefits, would you still consider installing one? Do you know of any specific solar panel installations in the area, either residential or commercial? Do you think that a solar panel installation on the Wesley United Methodist Church is something that should be perused now, sometime in the future, or not at all? What do you feel was the overall quality of this presentation?