Businesses that move from coal and oil-based energy to solar will provide a major impact on our national energy use (and pollution reduction) as buildings in the U.S. consume two-thirds of the electricity generated. Because there are many types of solar energy systems, there are also many types of commercial solar energy systems, such as photovoltaic systems, solar hot water systems and solar pool systems. These systems use very different equipment and tend to require more expertise than residential systems. Commercial solar installations differ from utility scale solar installations in that commercial systems they generally much smaller in size and the power generated is primarily utilized on site as opposed to regionally distributed.

As new construction project will typically focus on initial capital costs, less attention has been made to ongoing operating (energy) costs. The U.S. Green building Counsel’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has set guidelines for “green” buildings that many customers and builders are embracing. In fact, many states and local governments require LEED certification on new construction and major renovations and solar can be instrumental in attaining LEED certification. Because of off-set energy costs, IRS tax credits, accelerated depreciation, state and utility incentive, in addition to secondary revenue opportunities with selling Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), commercial solar energy systems make a compelling business case scenario.

This section will help guide consumers on the various types of commercial solar energy systems available.