progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

rollandelliott
rollandelliott Solar Expert Posts: 834 ✭✭
in PV Installers Forum - NEC, Wiring, Installation #1
https://www.progress-energy.com/assets/www/docs/business/solarrfpsummary.pdf

I wonder how many acres you would need for a 1 MW solar farm? my guess is 3. anyone have any experience bidding and doing these huge projects?
· Share on Twitter

Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    you would need quite a bit of room for a 1mw solar farm, but exactly i can't say.

    i do know those that drew up this proposal don't have a clue either as they state that this pv system can be rooftop from page 4. that would be quite a large area for a building or even many buildings.

    picture say 200w pvs for simplicity and 5 of them is a kw. 5000 pvs:confused:
    · Share on Twitter
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    A large PV (250 Watt) is about 20 square feet. That's about 80,000 sq. ft. for 1 megawatt, or just under 2 acres merely to accommodate the panels (unless I've slipped a decimal point). A very large roof indeed.
    · Share on Twitter
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    A large PV (250 Watt) is about 20 square feet. That's about 80,000 sq. ft. for 1 megawatt, or just under 2 acres merely to accommodate the panels (unless I've slipped a decimal point). A very large roof indeed.

    640 acres per square mile
    (5280 X 5280) / 640 = 43,560 sq ft.

    Your math is right on Coot!
    · Share on Twitter
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    the pvs may need separated to avoid shading the ones behind them because of the tilt so i think that can be another acre or 2.

    for mounting the pvs on roof space facing south and assuming that the other half of the roof faces north and that the buildings would occupy less space than the property outline this can go to 4 to 6 acres and maybe more.
    · Share on Twitter
  • Peak Solar
    Peak Solar Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭
    #6
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    My company is pursuing the rfp with Progress Energy in NC.

    We have sited 15 acres for a 3MW farm. This takes into account row spacing, maintenance access driveways, inverter pad and gives a little extra room between the perimeter fence and the array.

    A rooftop application of 1MW would need about 130,000 s.f. of usable space. Plenty of distribution and industrial buildings here in NC with that kind of roof space.
    · Share on Twitter
  • rollandelliott
    rollandelliott Solar Expert Posts: 834 ✭✭
    #7
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    That is so COOL , let me know how it goes?
    How does the whole financing work?

    You put in a bid
    and assuming they approve it
    do they pay you up front or do you have to have deep pockets to buy everything up front install it and then get paid after it is done?

    Hopefully your 15 acres is on relatively flat land other wise a lot of bull dozing will be needed.

    According to the submitall paper work:
    "Pricing must be bundled or “all-in” for energy, capacity and RECs on a per MWh basis."

    so does this mean that you own the solar farm and sell the electricty and rec's to Progress?

    That is a Ton of money invested in something, does't sound profitable!!!
    · Share on Twitter
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms
    Peak Solar wrote: »
    My company is pursuing the rfp with Progress Energy in NC.

    We have sited 15 acres for a 3MW farm. This takes into account row spacing, maintenance access driveways, inverter pad and gives a little extra room between the perimeter fence and the array.

    A rooftop application of 1MW would need about 130,000 s.f. of usable space. Plenty of distribution and industrial buildings here in NC with that kind of roof space.

    ok, giving the benefit of the doubt that those roofs can accommodate the area of the pvs and hold in the neighborhood of 5000-15000 pvs without collapsing, realizing that number can vary some by pv wattage (it's still going to be a larger sized pv in weight and area for higher wattages), why would you need to be specific on how it is mounted? if they could get that 1mw on poles (even more unlikely, but equally not impossible) would you care or disqualify them because that wasn't mentioned? how about multi-story buildings or a skyscraper and placing pvs not just on the roof, but on the south facing wall? see my point is that on the one hand it can be construed that if it isn't specifically mentioned as a mounting option that it is not valid to do, but if you were only giving roofs as an example then it should've been stated as such or no mentioning of how it's mounted at all.
    · Share on Twitter
  • Peak Solar
    Peak Solar Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭
    #9
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms
    rollandelliott wrote: »
    That is so COOL , let me know how it goes?
    How does the whole financing work?
    We have investors arranged to purchase the systems once we commission them.
    You put in a bid
    and assuming they approve it
    do they pay you up front or do you have to have deep pockets to buy everything up front install it and then get paid after it is done?
    They are only agreeing to sign a 20 yr. PPA for a set price. The utility does not pay anything, own, nor assume any responsibility for the system.

    Hopefully your 15 acres is on relatively flat land other wise a lot of bull dozing will be needed.
    That is correct. Site selection is a key factor.
    According to the submitall paper work:
    "Pricing must be bundled or “all-in” for energy, capacity and RECs on a per MWh basis."

    so does this mean that you own the solar farm and sell the electricty and rec's to Progress?
    That is correct. The investor will own the solar farm and sell the energy and RECs to to power company.
    That is a Ton of money invested in something, does't sound profitable!!!
    On top of the federal incentives, NC offers a 35% commercial tax credit. When these deals are structured correctly and the accounting is tip top, the payback is around 4 to 4.5 years (with up to 70% recovered in the 1st year) and produces an unlevered IRR in the 12% - 14% range. Definately not a home run, but safe and secure for those looking for a tax efficient investment.


    I hope that this answers some of your questions.
    · Share on Twitter
  • rollandelliott
    rollandelliott Solar Expert Posts: 834 ✭✭
    #10
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    wow thanks for that info, always interesting to know how renewable energy financing works.
    · Share on Twitter
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #11
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    @Peak Solar:

    How did you guys do in the RFP? We also a bid and were unfortunately not short listed. Hope you fared better.
    · Share on Twitter
  • Peak Solar
    Peak Solar Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭
    #12
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    @ cestlevent
    No unfortunately we did not either.
    · Share on Twitter
  • Northforker
    Northforker Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭
    #13
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    We are installing several 10 MW AC(13 MW DC) utility scale farms in Ontario. The gross area(fenced) is approximately 100 acres. The modules actually only cover approx. 28 acres. However when row spacing, edge spacing, setbacks for shading from adjacent property, roads, municipal road setbacks, waterway setbacks, neighboring landowner setbacks, roads, inverter station pads, laydown area, substation, etc. are figured in, 100 acres is pretty tight.

    A 1 MW AC farm would require approx 15 acres when the constraints listed above are applied.
    · Share on Twitter
  • chevenstein
    chevenstein Solar Expert Posts: 100 ✭✭
    #14
    Re: progress energy carolinas now accepting bids for 1 to 3mega watt solar pv farms

    Northforker: somewhat off the thread's topic, but for an installation of that size (10MW) what kind of inverters do you use for something that large? Lots of smaller ones? I've been curious about this but never had someone to ask before. Thanks!
    · Share on Twitter

Categories