Financial Feasibility

A commercial solar feasibility study built on your meter data, not averages

For a Kentucky business, school or manufacturer, a commercial solar feasibility study has to answer two questions at once: what solar saves under your tariff, and whether the federal credit calendar still works for you.

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3–5 weeks from complete documentsFlat fee, in writingNo commissions, ever

An hourglass full of tiny solar cells standing on a factory loading dock — The idea
For commercial solar, the calendar is part of the financial model. Deadlines change the math as much as prices do.

What a commercial solar feasibility study covers

A commercial solar feasibility study in Kentucky tells you whether on-site solar earns its keep under your tariff, your load and the federal credit calendar as it stands in late 2026. We build it from your interval data and bills, not from a regional average. You get cash flows for several system sizes, with and without federal credits, and a short memo your board can act on.

Start with the meter, not the roof

Your bill has at least three parts: energy, demand and fixed charges. Solar reliably reduces the energy part. It reduces demand charges only when the panels happen to be producing during the short interval that sets your monthly peak.

Here’s the trap. A plant that peaks at 4 p.m. on a hot July day might see solar shave that peak most days. But one passing storm at 3:45 p.m. can set the month’s billed demand as if the panels weren’t there. Some commercial tariffs also carry a ratchet, a minimum billed demand tied to a past peak, which can stretch one bad afternoon across several bills. We check your rate schedule for these terms and model them.

The 45-kilowatt line

Kentucky’s net metering statute covers systems up to 45 kW. Above that line, exported power is valued under different utility tariffs, so a 46 kW system can be a different financial decision from a 45 kW one. We test sizes on both sides when it matters. Sizing for installation is work for your installer and a licensed engineer.

The federal credit calendar, as of November 2026

This is general information about the 2025 federal budget law (Public Law 119-21) and Treasury guidance. It is not tax advice.

The begin-construction date has passed. Solar projects that began construction by July 4, 2026 aren’t subject to the end-of-2027 cutoff, though IRS continuity rules still apply.
Everyone else faces an in-service deadline. Projects that didn’t begin construction by then generally must be placed in service by December 31, 2027. From today, that’s about 14 months for procurement, permits, interconnection and construction.
Sourcing rules apply. Projects beginning construction after December 31, 2025 must meet “material assistance” limits on inputs from prohibited foreign entities. Treasury issued interim guidance in Notice 2026-15 in February 2026, and documentation starts with your supplier contracts.
Elective pay still exists for tax-exempt and public owners, subject to the same deadlines.

So we model the date as a variable. If the system goes into service in January 2028 instead of December 2027, the credit may be gone. Schedule risk becomes a line in the cash flow, not a footnote.

What happens next

Most studies end in one of three places: proceed to an installer RFP, wait, or drop the idea. If you proceed, equipment sourcing documentation keeps the sourcing paperwork organized. If storage might change the demand picture, we can add battery and storage economics. For dates in more detail, read our commercial credit deadline timeline.

What you walk away with

Outcomes, not opinions

Savings by bill component

Energy, demand and fixed charges modeled separately, so you see which part of the bill solar actually reduces.

Deadline-aware scenarios

Cash flows with the federal credit, without it and with a delayed in-service date, so schedule risk has a dollar value.

Sizes compared, not assumed

Two to four system-size scenarios, including where Kentucky's 45 kW net metering limit changes the economics.

A memo your board can use

A short decision memo on top of the full report, written for people who will read two pages, not forty.

A clean handoff to procurement

The assumptions become the baseline for an installer RFP, so bids answer the same questions.

How it works

The process, start to finish

3–5 weeks from complete documents. You'll know the scope and the fee before any work begins.

Fit call and data request
A free 20-minute call, then a data request for 12–24 months of bills, interval data, your rate schedule name and planned load changes.
Load and tariff analysis
We map when you use power, what sets your demand charges and how your tariff values on-site use and exports.
Scenario modeling
We model system sizes, ownership options and federal credit timing, then stress-test rates, production and schedule.
Draft review
You and your finance lead review a draft and tell us what we got wrong about your operations.
Final report and walkthrough
The final report, the decision memo and a recorded walkthrough for anyone who needs to see the reasoning.

Deliverables

What's in the report

Load analysis from 15-minute or hourly interval data
Bill-component savings model under your current tariff
Two to four system-size scenarios with year-by-year cash flows
Federal credit timing scenarios: credit, no credit and delayed in-service date
Question list for your CPA on credit eligibility and depreciation
Elective pay notes for tax-exempt and public owners, where applicable
Board-ready decision memo plus full report with assumptions page
Recorded walkthrough call and one round of follow-up questions

Where our work stops

Boundaries we keep

We don't do engineering, structural or electrical studies; a licensed engineer evaluates the roof, ground and interconnection.
We don't give tax advice or determine credit eligibility; your CPA or tax counsel confirms tax treatment.
We don't sell equipment, broker financing or take payments from developers or installers.

Our full scope of services

Part of our Financial Feasibility Analysis practice. Also in this practice: Proposal Second Opinion and Battery & Storage Economics.

FAQ

Questions about Commercial Feasibility Study

Is it too late for the federal solar credit?

Not necessarily, but the window is narrow. Under the 2025 federal budget law, solar facilities that didn't begin construction by July 4, 2026 generally must be placed in service by December 31, 2027 to claim the business credits, and projects starting construction after 2025 face foreign-entity sourcing limits. Whether your project qualifies is a question for your tax adviser. We model it both ways.

Why do you need interval data instead of monthly bills?

Monthly bills show how much power you used, not when. Demand charges are typically set by your highest short-interval demand in the month, and solar only reduces that peak if the panels are producing at that moment. Interval data shows whether they would be.

Can a church, school or nonprofit benefit from the credit?

Possibly. Elective pay lets tax-exempt and governmental entities receive certain clean energy credits as a payment, after registering with the IRS before filing. The same solar deadlines apply, and domestic content rules can reduce the payment for some projects. Confirm the details with your tax adviser.

What about bonus depreciation?

The 2025 law restored 100% bonus depreciation for qualifying property acquired after January 19, 2025. How it applies to your project, and how it interacts with any credit, is a question for your CPA. We model depreciation only as your CPA confirms it.

Will solar lower our demand charges?

Sometimes, and usually by less than people expect. One cloudy afternoon at the wrong moment can set the month's peak. We estimate demand savings from your actual load and production profile rather than assuming them.