Solar Panel Analysis

Description: Would it be cost effective to install solar panels on the roof of my house? Lonnie Chrisma, Lumina's CTO, built this model to explore this question for his hpme in San Jose, California.

This video documents the building of this model, and is a good example of the process one goes through when building any decision model.

The model explores how many panels I should install, and what the payoff is in terms of net present value, Internal rate of return and time to recoup cost. It also looks at whether I should postpone the start of the installation to take advantage of rapidly falling PV prices, or cash in on tax credits.

Keywords: Renewable energy, photovoltaics, net present value, internal rate of return, tax credits, agile modeling.

Author: Lonnie Chrisman

Download: Solar Panel Analysis.ana