Sun Power arranges solar power generator leases for rooftops and lands owned by commercial, industrial, institutional and rural property owners. We act on behalf of property owners. Several criteria determine the suitability, marketability and lease rate of solar power generation properties:
Rooftop Solar Leases
- flat roofs with at least 20 years of remainder life
- minimum of 30,000 square feet (2,790 M²) of unobstructed roof space
- roof load capacity to permit minimum installation of a 150 kW solar power system, and
- minimum annual average solar insolation of 4kW/M²/Day
Ground-mount Solar Leases
- minimum 10 acres (4 Hectares) of clear level land with CLI 4 and above agricultural class rating (not productive for agriculture or specialty crops use)
- located within 5km of a feeder line connected to a Hydro One Transformer Station (TS)
- lands that are NOT sensitive habitats for rare or endangered species or heritage landforms, and
- accessible by all-season roadway
Why lease your rooftop or land with Sun Power?
We have the technical and financial know-how to structure solar power leases for the mutual benefit of property owners and solar developers. We are solar power generation experts that work on behalf of property owners. When you lease with Sun Power you will receive current market lease terms for your property to host solar power generation systems.
- We represent property owners.
- We assess, evaluate and report on the solar power potential, grid connectivity and investment merits of your rooftop or land for solar power generation at no-charge.
- We review lease terms and advise on the best strategy to receive the highest solar power lease rate for your rooftop or lands in the current market.
- We advertise and market your property to qualified solar power developers that have experience, expertise and financial stability to develop, operate and sustain an optimal solar power generation system over a 20-year lease term.
We ensure that your solar power generation tenant installs an optimal solar power system on your roof or lands to transmit safe and reliable electricity to the grid. A well-drawn solar power lease defines best practices and risk management in the mutual best interest of property owners and power generators. And fair consideration for a long-term business relationship.
Contact us to review lease opportunities for solar power generation on your property.
Ontario’s Feed in Tariff Program
The Green Energy Act regulations directed the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to buy electricity from renewable energy sources. The electricity purchase price or tariff is guaranteed for 20 years in the OPA contract or Power Purchase Agreement. The tariff paid for solar electricity transmitted to the electrical grid is based on the energy source (solar or wind), system location (solar roof-mount or ground-mount) and the inverter’s kilowatt (kW) or nameplate capacity. An inverter is an electrical power conversion and management device that is an integral component of a solar power generation system.
One kW is equal to 1000 watts or a ‘kilowatt’. A 10kW system is equal to 10000 watts or ’10 kilowatts’. One MW is equal to 1000000 watts (one million watts) or a ‘megawatt’. A 10MW system is equal to 10000000 watts (ten million watts) or ’10 megawatts’.
The computation of solar power sold to the grid is measured by an electricity meter that is installed between the solar power system and the Hydro One or Local Distribution Company (LDC) electricity grid connection point. The electricity transmitted is measured in 1000 watthours (kWh) or, for larger power systems, 1000000 watthours (MWh). The tariff is stated in purchase price per kWh of electricity transmitted to the grid.
There are two Ontario feed in tariff (FIT) programs. The Micro FIT program is designed for smaller power generators of 10 kW or less nameplate capacity. The FIT program is available for power generators between 10 kW and 10MW of nameplate capacity. The FIT market is suitable for most commercial, industrial and institutional rooftop owners. Optimal nameplate capacity for rooftop installations are between 150kW and 250kW. Nameplate capacities below 150kW and above 250kW are acceptable but marginal return on investment is maximized for 250kW systems that pays a tariff of $0.713 per kWh or 71.3 cents/kWh of alternating current (AC) electricity transmitted to the grid.
Ground-mount solar system installations are more flexible to optimize based on the size of qualified available land, proximity to electrical transmission stations and solar insolation or duration and density of peak sunshine hours. An estimate for ground-mount solar power generation nameplate capacity is to divide the number of qualified acres by 10 and the result would be the number in megawatts (MW) of nameplate solar capacity that may possibly be installed on the land, all else being equal.
Sun Energy and Solar Electric Power
Early Discovery and Innovation
In 1839 French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel discovered that an electrical charge resulted from the absorption of sunlight by a conductive material. American inventor Charles Fritts used Becquerel’s discovery to create the first solar cell in 1883. Charles Fritts discovery lead five years later to the first patent in the US for solar cells that was issued to Edward Weston in 1888 (US389124 and US389125). Albert Einstein explained the photoelectric effect in 1905 for which he received the 1921 Nobel prize in Physics. Thirty-four years later Bell Labs scientists D.M. Chapin, C.S. Fuller and G.L. Pearson invented the first generation of modern solar cells that was described in their Journal of Applied Physics 25 (5): 676–677 (May 1954) article:
“A New Silicon p-n Junction Photocell for Converting Solar Radiation into Electrical Power”
Fabrication of materials with electrical properties focused attention on germanium and silicon as semiconductors of electrical charges. Germanium provides higher electrical efficiency than silicon but is not as efficient as silicon at higher temperatures and a costly material to manufacture. Silicon is more abundant in nature and could be manufactured in higher quantities at significantly lower unit cost.
While silicon ruled terrestrial solar power applications germanium remained the preferred material for solar cells used to power saltellites and other spacecraft. The high cost of germanium was balanced by more efficient solar cells that reduced the solar array size and associated weight onboard spacecrafts. Similar environmental and financial constraints did not apply to land based solar power systems that were best suited to less-efficient but significantly lower-cost silicon solar cells.
Solar cell production quantities and encapsulation quality increased with improved manufacturing methods that resulted in longer life and more reliable solar modules at lower unit costs. The cost of poly-silicon used to fabricate polysilicon solar modules declined from US$170 per kilogram (2.2 lbs.) in December 2008 to under US$35 per kilogram in November 2011. The cost of an Ontario-made good quality polysilicon module is about $1.50 per watt or $420 for a 280 watt solar module (1Q2012).
Thin Film Solar Modules
A solar module is a collection of solar cells encapsulated in a rigid rectangular vacuum-sealed glass package. Thin Film solar cells are an alternative to silicon based solar cells. Layers of photo-sensitive chemicals are deposited onto a thin film substrate that is encapsulated into a solar module. Thin Film (TF) solar modules have not as yet (1Q2012) achieved competitive kilowatt hour (cost/kWh) production efficiency compared to mono-crystalline silicon, multicrystalline or polysilicon (poly-Si) solar modules.
Electricity from Photons
Sunlight carries photons that are absorbed by solar cells made of semi-conductor material. The top and bottom of a silicon solar cell is doped with a chemical of different opposing atomic structure and electrical charge. The top thinner layer of an n-type solar cell has a dominant negative charge and a dominant positive charge on the bottom thicker layer.
A conductive dye is printed in a finger-like pattern on the sun-facing negative charge side of the solar cell to increase reception and absorption of photons. A pair of conductors called busbars carry the current from the solar cell’s finger-like photon receptors to serially adjacent solar cells.
Photons from sunlight absorbed into solar cells dislodge atomic particles from normal state. An invisible band gap separates the top and bottom of a solar cell that forms a resistive barrier to reconnection of electrons with attractive charge holes. Disoriented negative electrons find resistance reconnecting with postive holes. Dislodged electrons scurrying around in search of available holes to return to normal state generate an electrical current at the voltage rating of the solar cell. The time that electrons spend in an excited state in search of holes extends the duration of electrical current in the solar cell. Metal busbars bridge negative and positive sides of adjacent solar cells in series. As current passes between solar cells it carries voltage from each solar cell. Solar cell current multiplied by the sum of voltage from each solar cell in a solar module results in electricity measured in direct current (DC) watthours (Wh). An inverter converts the DC Wh to alternating current (AC) to power AC loads or permit transmission on the electrical grid.
Solar Modules, Arrays and Balance of Systems
A solar module encapsulates 60 or 72 solar cells, usually in six columns of 10 or 12 solar cells. The sum of each cell’s voltage carried by the current across the solar cells determines the electrical power or watthours (Wh) that the solar module can produce. Solar modules are assembled into solar arrays that make-up the energy receivers and conductors of direct current (DC) electricity.
An inverter is an electrical conversion and power management device that is an integral component of all grid-tied solar power systems. The inverter converts direct current (DC) electricity to alternating current (AC) electricity standards required for transmission to the AC electrical grid. The inverter’s durability, capacity and efficiency to optimize and manage DC to AC electricity power transmission is an important determinant to investment pay-back and rate of return of the solar power system.
The inverter, racking, wiring, junction/disconnect boxes and wiring/grounding chases are referred to as the Balance of Systems (BOS). Electrical grounding devices/wiring and racking systems protect and support the solar array on rooftops or on ground-mounted projects. Wiring delivers the electircal power generated from the solar array to the inverter and to the electrical grid. Junction boxes are conduits that consolidate wiring from modules to the inverter. Disconnets are devices that shutdown DC and AC transmission of electricity within the solar power system for maintenance or emergency purposes.
Solar power system generation is increased by racking that positions solar arrays on a slope or angle to receive more direct sunshine based on the latitude of the project site. Sun trackers provide additional optimization using single or dual-axial positioning to adjust the solar array’s tilt angle and orientation to receive direct sunlight throughout the day.
Peak Sun Hours
The pay-back and investment return from a solar power system located at a particular site requires due diligent assessment of several parameters. Sunlight rises at dawn in the east and declines in the west at dusk as the earth spins before the sun and daylight turns to darkness. Solar power generation occurs only when there is direct and indirect or diffusive sunlight. A high density of photons delivered over a long duration of time results in higher peak sun hours that offers greater solar power generation opportunity. Seasonal changes impact on the duration of peak sun hours as the solar window expands and shrinks between the summer (June 21st) and winter (December 21st) solstices.
Solar power generation systems have a long history in supplying space satellite power requirements. Early solar power systems continue in service after 30 years. Solar module manufacturers offer 25 year limited warranties. Selection of quality solar power system components and contractors is a critical success factor to ensure reliable optimal electricity generation over several decades.