Commercial 176KW 480VAC 3 Phase System located in Lancaster County includes enough solar panels to offset the client’s Business and home through Utility Virtual Net Metering Program. With all the incentives (Depreciation, 30% Federal Tax Credit and 25-50% USDA REAP Grant) and PPL Utility Rebate (Only PPL Utilities offer this rebate) now is the time to install solar to offset utility bills and protect yourself from rising utility costs.

Commercial systems come in all shapes and sizes, especially when it comes to roof systems. Fortunately, there are many mounting options for roof solar systems, covering everything from standing seam or corrugated roof attachment options to ballasted system mounts; which are ideal for large, flat roofs and require no penetration to attach the racking or modules. Smucker’s can work with you to determine the best option for your system based on your roof type and other building factors.

Additionally, we provide monitoring solutions that ensure you’re getting the most out of your system—specific products allow you to track energy production on a panel-by-panel basis. This provides you with up-to-the-minute analysis on the performance of your system, and it can provide unique and creative PR opportunities—such as lobby monitors or website links showing solar production. More importantly, though, it keeps you fully informed of system performance so that in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, it can be quickly identified and resolved to ensure minimal production loss. This is very important on commercial systems with large panel strings—we realize that commercial solar is an investment, and we’re committed to helping you see and verify that your system is delivering the savings your business needs.

After careful review of the information gathered in Phase One, a detailed design stage begins and fully engineered drawings of the system are generated. This includes a site plan, one-line drawing, module map, and inverter room drawing. The drawings are reviewed by the Smucker’s team of technicians and electricians who will complete the installation, and meetings are held between the design and installation teams to refine the design and create an installation plan. Once the electrical drawings are complete, the permit application is submitted and the design is sent for approval. At the same time, the Interconnection Utility Agreement (Part A) is submitted. During the pre-planning stage, the project was divided into two main areas of work—the roof and the inverter room. This allowed the Smucker’s installation team to focus separately on the two work areas, enabling simultaneous progress on the solar array and the inverter room. Once the design receives approval from the utility through the Interconnection Utility Agreement and the work permit is received, the project moves into the installation phase and the on-site work begins.

On the roof of this facility the clamps and racking that will secure the solar panels are laid down, and then the solar panels are attached. This facility has a standing seam roof which enables racking to be affixed to it without penetrating any part of the roof. The wires from each individual solar panel are connected to each other in groups called strings. Several strings are merged in a combiner box, which consolidates the power from the strings that feed into it. There is one output from each combiner box that runs through the conduit into the inverter room.

Inside, the mezzanine level is where the 100KW Primary & 2-secondary and 33.3KW SolarEdge Inverter was installed while the CT (current transformer) cabinet, Point of Interconnection inside of junction Box, PV Disconnect and the Solar Transformer are located exterior beside the utility meter. There are conduits installed on the roof (to carry the DC power generated from the solar panels) to the inverters (where it will be converted to AC power), and there are conduits from the inverters to the main utility switchboard/distribution panel which will distribute the AC power to the building and send the excess to the power company. Once the conduits are installed, the wire is pulled through and connected, completing the electric circuits from the solar panels to the inverter inputs and from the inverter outputs to the main AC distribution panel.

Thorough testing of the system was conducted by Smucker’s Energy to ensure that all components were fully functioning. Once the installation and testing were complete, arrangements were made for official inspections. Officials from the local utility and a third-party inspection firm were required to inspect the work prior to startup. After the final inspection was complete, Part B of the Interconnection Application form was submitted and sent for approval with the inspection cut card. Following the approval, the system was switched on and began making clean, green energy.

For systems of this size (and commercial systems in general), Smucker’s Energy highly recommends setting up a system output monitoring solution to ensure that it is immediately noticeable if the system is producing at a level below what is necessary to offset the energy usage. On this system, the amount of energy the panels are generating can be tracked using the revenue grade internet monitoring system that was incorporated into the design of this project. Via the internet, the client can access and monitor real-time energy output of the system. Total lifetime system output can also be viewed, as well as the outputs of the individual optimizers.

In addition to savings on your electric bill your solar system can help generate additional revenue via SREC’s. Currently we suggest using Knollwood Energy as a SREC market provider. The Process takes little effort and is easy to sign up for, as Smucker’s Energy fills out the required applications and clients only need to submit monthly readings to Knollwood energy. System owners receive 1 REC for each 1,000KWH (1MWH) of power the system generates, which can be sold in the SREC market (much like that of a carbon market model). These credits are accumulated regardless of whether the client uses the energy the system produces or if it is pumped back into the local utility grid. SREC prices are determined by the market, therefore they will fluctuate quarterly.