May 22, 2011

Solar losing money because of property taxes - Dah Moment

This is WHY they should be LEASED on buildings roofs and parking lots.
Simple math: roofs + parking lots = millions of acres for FREE prime space for sohttp://www.sebastienpage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/solar_parking_lot.jpglar (a dah moment).

Solar farm near Climax losing money because of property taxes
Producing 225,592 kilowatt hours of electricity in its first year of operation, a solar farm in eastern Kalamazoo County that went online in early 2010 has exceeded expectations. Also exceeding expectations is the property tax, said Sam Field, a Kalamazoo attorney and one of the owners of Kalamazoo Solar.

The $27,689 tax bill for the Charleston Township property means that the owners are losing money, even when being paid a premium price of 45 cents a kilowatt hour by Consumers Energy, he said. “That Michigan property tax burden works out to a cost of 12.3 cents per kilowatt hour,” Field said.
“That amount is more than the retail value of the electricity.”