How It Works

Every commercial system and installation is unique. The size of your commercial system will depend on the available roof, canopy, land space, or even water bodies for floating solar panels, as well as your electricity needs and financial objectives. Due to the variations in designing and installing systems, a range of components may be required. For instance, the equipment used for a pitched roof differs from that used for a ballasted installation on a flat roof. Carport and ground installations require additional structures and cabling to connect to the meter.

The components required for a commercial solar system include the panels, an inverter power station, and individual systems for cable management, mechanical mounting, and energy monitoring. The cost of the system will depend on the selection of the manufacturer, type, and quality of all components. Wolf River Electric will keep your goals in mind and consult you to recommend the best combinations.

We will help you identify the optimal location for your panels—whether on your roof, over your parking lots, on vacant land, or even as floating solar installations on water bodies.

Roof-mounted commercial solar panel installation by Wolf River Electric for efficient and sustainable energy production.
Solar canopy structure with integrated solar panels by Wolf River Electric providing shaded commercial parking and renewable energy.
Ground-mounted commercial solar panels by Wolf River Electric delivering renewable energy solutions for businesses.
Floating commercial solar panels on water by Wolf River Electric harnessing renewable energy for efficient power generation.
Explanation of Net Energy Metering/Demand Charges
If a business does not have solar, it buys every single kilowatt hour of electricity from the utility company. The utility company charges its commercial customers in three buckets.
  • Bucket 1: A fixed monthly fee, the amount of which depends on the rate tariff you are on. This fee remains even after you go solar.
  • Bucket 2: Time-of-use charges. Commercial customers are charged based on the time of year and time of day that a given kWh is consumed. Rates are higher in summer vs. winter and higher in the afternoons and evenings than in the middle of the night.
  • Bucket 3: Demand charges. The utility actually tracks usage in 15-minute increments, and the demand charge is based on the highest peak in a given month or quarter. The demand charge is often half of a commercial customer’s bill and sometimes even more!
Illustration of commercial solar energy system with inverter, net meter, and grid connection by Wolf River Electric.

When a business adds solar, it enters into a “Net Energy Meter” agreement with the utility company. This agreement states that the utility will credit the customer at the same rate it would charge for a given kWh. For the sake of explanation, let’s assume that a business is open 5 days a week, Monday through Friday. The solar system creates power on weekends, when little electricity is used. The power goes back into the grid, and the customer is credited. On Monday morning, staff show up to work and turn everything on. They use up the credit they created over the weekend before billing for new electricity charges. This give and take between kWh used and created is constant, hour by hour, day by day, and month by month.