From costs to yields
Solar integrations are profitable investments. The reasons for this are, firstly, that the additional investments compared to conventional building envelopes represent a fraction of the total project costs. Secondly, solar building envelopes generate yields and amortise within a few years. In the period after that, they generate earnings and become profitable power plants. Two examples.
Workshop with 10 employees
Location: Lausanne
Orientation: west
System: NICER roof-integrated system
Module type: glass-film, with frame
Colour: deep black
Surface: 300 m2
Power: 52.8 kWp
Annual yield: 51'000 kWh
Gross investment incl. VAT:
CHF 108'000
Substitution conventional roof:
CHF 23'000
Net investment: CHF 85'000
One-off grant1: CHF 19'552
Return2: 6.2%
Break even: 15 years
Profit over lifespan:
CHF 111'000
Office building with 20 employees
Location: Zurich
Orientation: east
System: FAST facade system
Module type: glass-glass, frameless
Colour: slate grey
Surface: 500 m2
Power: 75.0 kWp
Annual yield: 40'000 kWh
Gross investment incl. VAT:
CHF 371'000
Substitution glass facade:
CHF 297'000
Net investment: CHF 74'000
One-off grant1: CHF 27'100
Return2: 11.5%
Break even: 8 years
Profit over lifespan:
CHF 231'000
1 One-off grant
The one-off grant is a subsidy model for solar systems by the Swiss federal government. It covers around a third of the investment. Additional contributions from the buildings programme for energy-efficient renovation are not yet included.
2 Rate of return
Yields and returns are project-specific and depend on factors such as irradiance values, project design and development of electricity prices. They take into account inflation, capital costs, discounting, tax benefits and reinvestments. Customized profitability studies can be provided upon request.
