Producing electricity with on-site photovoltaic (PV) systems can have several benefits, including buffering your business from volatile energy costs, lightening your carbon footprint, and demonstrating corporate responsibility. Although PV systems represent a significant asset investment, declining module prices have begun to make the cost of electricity competitive with conventional power in a growing number of areas. In 2014, the installed cost of a midsize commercial-scale PV array, including inverters and balance-of-system (BoS) hardware, was $2.25 per watt of output power. This translates to roughly $0.04 per kilowatt-hour for electricity produced over a 30-year lifetime, which is competitive with many utilities’ business rates. In addition, there are a number of rebates, tax breaks, and other incentives that can reduce the cost of installing a PV system even further.

What Are the Options?
How to Make the Right Choice
What’s on the Horizon?
Who Are the Manufacturers?
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