For many years, companies looking to renovate at a reduced cost have been advised for commercial solar panel installation. The conventional advantages are well-known: Benefits include reduced energy use, decreased dependency on the power grid, the possibility of selling electricity back to suppliers, and, of course, government grants and incentives.
However, a trend of more beneficial-than-ever new commercial solar installations has emerged in recent years. In addition to improvements in efficiency and materials, solar panels are now being employed in more inventive and useful ways. These are the trends pushing owners of commercial real estate of all stripes to schedule their solar projects.
Parking Lots for Solar Power
For businesses, rooftop solar continues to be the most popular and economical option. But not all owners of commercial real estate have a large amount of usable roof space, nor do they have roofs that face the best direction. However, there’s another huge area of underutilized space, privately held parking lots next to businesses, that’s just waiting for a solar makeover.
In many instances, power is channeled to surrounding buildings using solar panels that are mounted on sturdy columns immediately over parking spots. Numerous advantages result from this, such as the capacity to shade automobiles on sweltering days and generate electricity for neighboring parking lot lights or even EV chargers. It’s just one of many instances of how solar renovations may benefit both customers and business owners when applied to conventional commercial real estate.
Installing Solar Panels in Agriculture
In certain regions, like some sections of California, agri-solar, also known as agrivoltaics, has long been popular, but more and more farmers are increasingly aware of its advantages. In many instances, rows of solar panels are put over crops or grazing land in locations that are already well-designed to receive enough natural sunshine so that the panels may absorb sunlight.
Usually, owners have a few inquiries concerning these initiatives. Do solar panels, for instance, hinder crop growth? No, they are used with low-lying crops that benefit from some shade, such peppers, broccoli, wheat, alfalfa, and more. They also require very little space to install, as they are placed above harvesters.
Some might be curious about how well solar panels work near grazing animals. Solar panels don’t appear to be interfering with grazing in any way thus far. More often than not, cattle and other livestock enjoy the shade just as much as some plants do.
Upgrades to Battery Storage and Floating
A few extremely helpful contemporary additions are also being made to existing solar installations. The first is a solar panel installation that floats—not that they literally float on water, though those do exist as well. Like flowers that face the sun throughout the day, a floating array is made to automatically move with the sun to maximize yield. Owners may usually keep using the same panels, and replacing the mounts is a fairly simple process.
The second improvement is supplementing a solar array with battery storage. Because of this, owners can conveniently store generated energy for times of high demand, reducing waste and extending the installation’s usable life past dusk.
Add Solar Panels to Your Property to Upgrade It
Are you unsure if installing solar panels on your property would be a smart idea? Make contact with nearby solar installers and ask some questions or view their portfolios. You can rapidly obtain a clearer picture of what a brand-new solar installation will entail for your particular circumstance. Additionally, you can observe how subsidies, rebates, and other incentives help your sector by encouraging investment in brand-new solar projects. Occasionally, time is a critical component in obtaining the finest deals.
