From Building Team Member Richard Reis

Solar at WES

The Washington Ethical Society (WES) has valuable, but somewhat neglected solar photovoltaic system (PV system for short). 

History

About a decade ago, a group of WES members realized an opportunity to get a PV system to reduce climate and health-harming pollution. However, WES, as a non-profit institution could not benefit from the significant tax benefits from installing solar.  At the same time, we realized that WES needed a new roof. To address the opportunity and the problem, we formed and invested in Ethical Community Solar (ECS) to get the PV system and the investors donated proportionally for the new roof. We engaged a DC-based contractor to install the PV system. The system consists of 108 solar panels that produce direct current (DC) energy. Four large inverters convert the DC energy to AC energy for the grid. Over these years, the system has provided about half of WES’s electrical energy needs and paid dividends to ECS investors. Around the same time the Earth Ethics Action Team converted all lighting to LED technology and instituted many other energy-savings measures.  

In 2021, ECS donated the PV system to WES.

Revenue

In the years 2014 to 2021, the PV system produced about 30 MWh per year as reported through the solar inverter monitoring system (known as “the Sunny Portal”). 

For each MWh our PV system produces, WES gets one Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC); the 30 MWh translates to 30 SRECs. Each SREC generated in DC has a market value of $440. Thus, WES could get about $13,000 per year by selling those SRECs. The 30 MWh of free solar electrical energy per year, also saves WES nearly $5,000 that WES would otherwise have to pay our local utility. These benefits total about $18,000. The clean renewable energy has vast health and climate benefits as well. 

Recent developments

The link between the PV system and the Sunny Portal stopped working in 2022. 

We also discovered that one of the 4 large inverters was not working.  

Getting System Data

WES engaged Patricio Alverez, a certified solar electrician, who installed a new revenue-grade meter that is providing the energy production data so that we can again bank valuable SRECs. We plan to restore the link between the 4 inverters and the Sunny Portal to better monitor the health of the inverters and the rest of the PV system.  

Putting Inverter 4 Into Service

Because the inverter manufacturer determined that the failed inverter could not be repaired in the field and it was under warranty, they sent us a new inverter. Patricio installed the new inverter and got it working. 

The income from selling SRECs and the avoided cost of utility-supplied electricity will pay for the repairs in less than 4 months. 

Preventative Maintenance

Patricio recommends that we do preventative maintenance; he will recommend a company for this purpose; preventative maintenance including washing the solar panels would likely increase solar electric production. Patricio believes that the system, with proper care could serve WES (and the environment) for 25 years from its beginnings in 2013 to 2038.