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Kettle Foods
that PV systems last 15 years (which they do), a simple amortization would mean an annual cost of $400 to $500 per kilowatt. PV systems will produce 1,200 to 1,800 kilowatt-hours per year, per installed kilowatt. So, to get 1,200 to 1,800 kilowatt-hours per year, you would have to spend $400 to $500. Even at retail rates (a program known as “net metering” or “running your meter backward”) of 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, you would earn $96 to $180 per year, at a cost of $400 to $500, not exactly a paying proposition. If electric rates are 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, then the annual return would be $180 to $270. But now assume that government incentives lower the cost of PV systems by 50%, so that your annual cost is only $200 to $250. You’re still not making money. Are there still reasons to do this? Yes, there may be. For example, what is it worth to have a supply of electricity that is independent
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Kettle Foods partnered with the Energy Trust of Oregon to install one of the largest solar energy arrays in the Pacific Northwest. Using more than 600 solar panels set on roof-mounted racks, the plant now generates 120,000 kWh of electricity per year. That’s enough power to make 250,000 bags of chips and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 65 tons.
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