Has the Coronavirus Paused Your Solar Project? Here’s Why You Should Reboot Now

As we enter week 3 of the coronavirus  quarantine, life as we know it has hit a big pause button. Many of us are working at home. Our kids are out of school. No sporting events. No nights out with friends. No vacations. Nothing that draws a crowd. Naturally, everyone is scrambling to adjust and keep things moving forward. And with April 30th as the new target for normalcy, we have time to start plotting out the rest of the year.

Solential’s advice to those of you who were planning a solar project this year for your school, city, farm or business, is to steal a page from the Roger Penske who has postponed the May running of the Indianapolis 500 until August 23.

Reboot your project now.

Heck, if Penske can pause the greatest spectacle in auto racing for three months, reboot, and get millions of people on board with him, the rest of us can do anything! Here are five reasons why you should keep your solar project on track:

First, the Federal Investment Tax Credits for commercial solar projects won’t get any higher than they are now. Solar projects in the works by December 31, 2020, will qualify for a  26% tax credit. Wait and you’ll see the tax credits drop to 22% in 2021 just 10% in 2022. To qualify for this year’s investment tax credits, you will need an approved design, permitting and utility interconnection completed, and a portion of your materials procured by December 31, 2020. Otherwise, you’ll lose out.

Second, the typical solar project takes six months from start to finish. Right now there are nine months in the year, plenty of time for Solential to plan, design and build a commercial solar project. The process may take longer based on your approval process. For example, school projects often require several board meetings, which adds to the timeline. Keep this in mind if you want to leverage the 2020 investment tax credit of 26%.

Third, America’s solar industry has plenty of solar panels, racking and inverters to build your system.  As of March 30, only two of the nation’s solar panel manufacturers have stopped production. The majority have chosen to continue manufacturing and filling orders with strict new employee safety precautions in place. Solential has plenty of inventory to meet current and future 2020 projects.

Fourth, the design/build/maintenance process can largely be accomplished remotely. Like you, Solential’s solar team is working remotely, thanks to robust IT systems that enable us access to the software and files we need to design, engineer, price, and permit commercial solar projects. We are meeting with customers via videoconferencing and phone calls and sharing files digitally. Pretty much business as usual. The installation of your solar system is done by a small, technical construction crew that works together, but not in close proximity of each other. Post installation, we have 24/7 remote digital access to customers’ solar arrays that lets us monitor solar systems and track performance from our home offices. If there is an issue, a single technician can usually correct it.

Fifth, do you really want to delay all of the benefits of solar energy? If this crisis is teaching us anything, it’s that it’s time for dramatic changes in the way we live and work to ensure a more safe, sustainable future. Solar power is clean, reliable, and over the long term, eminently more affordable than traditional power from fossil fuels. Starting a discussion with Solential today, will get you that much closer to a better future.

Although many aspects of our lives have been canceled this year, some, like Roger Penske, refuse to give up. He’s hit the reboot button and the beloved Indianapolis 500 will go on this year. We will, too.

Let’s start the engine together!