Page 287 - Solar Power in Building Design The Engineer's Complete Design Resource

254 ECONOMICS OF SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS

Los Angeles, California 34.09 N/118.40 W

Toronto, Canada 43.67 N/–79.38 W
Palm Springs, California 33.7 N/116.52 W
San Diego, California 32.82 N/117.10 W

To obtain ground surface site insolation measurements refer to the Web site http://
eosweb.lac.nasa.gov/sse.
A certified registered structural engineer must design all solar power installation
platforms and footings. Upon completing and integrating the preliminary design
parameters previously discussed, the design engineer must conduct a feasibility analysis
of the solar power cogeneration project. Some of the essential cost components of
a solar power system required for final analysis are:

■ Solar PV module (dollars per dc watts)
■ Support structure hardware
■ Electric devices, such as inverters, isolation transformers, and lightning protection
devices; and hardware such as electric conduits, cables, and grounding wire

Additional costs may include:

■ Material transport and storage
■ Possible federal taxes and state sales taxes
■ Labor wages (prevailing or nonprevailing) and site supervision (project management)
■ Engineering design, which includes electrical, architectural, and structural disciplines
■ Construction drawings and reproduction
■ Permit fees
■ Maintenance training manuals and instructor time
■ Maintenance, casualty insurance, and warranties
■ Spare parts and components
■ Testing and commissioning
■ Overhead and profit
■ Construction bond and liability insurance
■ Mobilization cost, site office, and utility expenses
■ Liquidated damages

Energy Cost Factor

Upon completion of the preliminary engineering study and solar power generation
potential, the designer must evaluate the present costs and project the future costs of
the electric energy for the entire life span of the solar power system. To determine the
present value of the electric energy cost for an existing building, the designer must
evaluate the actual electric bills for the past 2 years. Note that the general cost
per kilowatt-hour of energy provided by service distributors consists of an average of