SERVICES
Initial Meeting
Whether you attended one of our many seminars or came to us from a client referral, we appreciate the time you take to meet with us. We enjoy our initial discussions with potential clients to find out more about their energy needs and see if solar can be a good opportunity to save on the ever risings cost of electricity.
Needs Assessment
We take the time to truly understand your energy consumption profile to help maximize energy savings. A common approach will include:
- Analyzing and working to reduce your energy usage with energy conservation and efficiency steps;
- Determining how to best generate energy with a cost-effective solar energy system, based on the characteristics of your facility, their business processes, and environmental or sustainability requirements;
- Ascertaining what financial options best complement the solar system to increase your overall savings and reduce out-of-pocket expenditures where appropriate; and
- Procuring (via our third-party partner energy providers) the remaining required energy that cannot be generated onsite.
Project Development
Once we establish the projected energy needs we begin the development process. Typically, this includes the following services as we develop your new solar project:
- Initial site analysis;
- Review of initial financing options;
- Grant writing services as needed;
- Collaborate with your on-site facilities team to plan project work;
- Ongoing consulting throughout the development and implementation process; and
- Complete system design.
Project Design and Engineering
No project can be successful if the initial needs cannot be integrated into a properly engineered project design. With more than 100 companies representing over 45 megawatts of successful solar installation, our project engineering and design teams’ experience will maximize your energy savings and ensure that your solar project will be generating energy for 30 years or more.
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners or “NABCEP” as it is more commonly referred, is known as the “gold standard” for Solar PV and PV Technical Certifications. Our NABCEP certified organization applies the following four key steps to specifically design, engineer and document your solar project:
- Research and select quality material based on long-term quality
- Develop designs based on best practices and life-cycle costing
- Maintain a design drawings development and equipment submittal review log
- Final Design and Specification Documentation
Permitting and Utility Interconnection
A solar project is one that touches many stakeholders. There is the client, the builder, the funder and there are the authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) and the utility to which the system must be interconnected. Professional and competent interfacing with these last two players is critical for the successful implementation of a solar project. Navigating these demands requires a team of competent technical, legal and engineering people who have experience in these complex matters.
Currently, there are no federal construction or permitting standards for solar, so each geographic region requires an experienced team that “has been there before” to understand and successfully navigate the waters of local permitting and utility interconnection. Not only does this experience help keep project costs in check, it also helps to ensure that projects actually can get completed in within the allotted schedule.
Project Management
Managing the logistics, engineering and construction of a large, complex solar project requires a thorough understanding of the technology, and many years of real-world, large-scale construction experience. Our project management leaders and teams are leaders in their field and make sure that a project stays on track for costs, timing and quality. It is the minutia that matters, and each day’s accomplishments are geared to align with the overall schedule of the project. When you visit with our project managers, you will rapidly understand how our attention to detail has enabled us to successfully manage the construction of many megawatts of solar projects in all parts of North America.
Stalled Project Recovery
RER Energy Group regularly reviews projects of other developers that–due to challenges in finance, permitting or construction–have found themselves unable to move forward – so stuck in a place that benefits no one. We evaluate these projects using our four-step recovery plan to determine whether the project is viable to move forward with our participation. Steps include:
- Analyzing initial business requirements – what is the financial reality on the ground;
- Diagnosing project challenges – why & how did things get derailed?;
- Addressing project obstacles with an RER-managed alternative solution; and
- Executing agreements with all affected stakeholders to restart project in order to meet original or updated objectives.
Finance and Incentives
Solar is an affordable, sustainable solution that can significantly reduce your dependence on utilities and ever-increasing electricity prices. With attractive investment returns, or no money up front options available, solar energy will help you realize more profits, create more certainty on future energy costs, and promote a more sustainable organization.
When considering solar, you can choose from one of several finance mechanisms. We will consult with your leadership and financial team to ensure that the method chosen best fits your organization’s energy savings and investment requirements. There are variations, but most finance solutions fit within these categories:
- Cash Purchase: Provides the highest level of saving, with Internal Rates of Return (IRRs) ranging from 8% to 15%, depending on the system. The approach makes sense in the case of a for-profit enterprise that is currently paying taxes;
- Bank Financing: Typically requires a down-payment of 20% to 30%, with Internal Rates of Return (IRRs) of 20% to 50%, depending on the system. This option results in positive cash flow starting in the first year;
- Lease: No upfront money necessary–flat monthly payments can be reduced with an upfront deposit; or
- Power Purchase Agreement: No cash up front, no maintenance costs, and monthly payments are based on actual energy produced and an agreed-upon per-kWh charge.
- Community Sourced Funding: Local and regional stakeholders participate in the funding of a solar project to assist local non-profit organizations in reaching their project finance needs. These local stakeholders not only assist in the funding, but in certain circumstances can be rewarded with a competitive rate of return for their efforts. It is another way we apply our exceptional business acumen to a unique type of solar energy project.
Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
At RER Energy Group, we take take a more sophisticated view of O&M, making sure it’s part of the project from the initial engineering phase, through the final design. While solar requires significantly lower maintenance than other generation sources, ongoing active management of these assets ensures optimized output, so our arrays meet or exceed the original production specifications.
Typically, an O&M agreement includes (but is not limited to) the following activities:
- Monitoring, online supervision and physical site supervision which includes;
– Preventative, predictive and corrective maintenance;
– Grid integration and regulation;
– Site maintenance; and detailed reporting and analysis;
– Monthly System Output Checks;
– Annual Reporting;
– Solar Energy Credit (SREC or ZREC) Reporting.
Our maintenance department constantly monitors system output and takes corrective action to ensure that the system operates to assure the project’s return on investment goals are achieved or exceeded.