Help Ashland Transition to Solar Energy and Benefit
The benefits of going solar are numerous. They include:
Local, renewable energy production keeps energy dollars circulating here in our community.
Solar power is clean, helping to protect air quality and the environment, while also fighting climate change. Any solar power development in Ashland will offest the need for natural gas in the overall electrical grid for Southern Oregon.
Ten percent of the energy produced is donated to low income households, helping to address energy insecurity in our community.
While monetary savings are difficult to predict mainly due to fluctuating energy prices over the next 25 years, our goal is to have a payback period of less than 20 years. Current solar panels are guaranteed for 25 years.
Distributed solar generation is an important step towards improving the resilience of our electric infrastructure as both demand and potential disruptions continue to grow. Local solar can provide continued power during an outage, especially if coupled with battery storage. Our large systems could back essential city services. And, as more Ashlanders switch to electric vehicles and electrify their homes, we are going to need more locally-produced electricity.
Solar development is expected to lead to well-paying, local, clean energy jobs that empower our community.
Small Business**
Average Monthly Usage (kWh):
3,000
Initial Investment less 26% Tax Credit:
$35,810
Projected Bill Savings Over 25 years:
$104,500
Percent of power you receive from PV array:
11.74%
**Business electric rates differ from residential. In the case above, the Return On Investment is 4.38%. Additionally, these estimated Business savings do not include savings from reductions in electrical demand.
