Solar panels on top of the main sales and service building at Krapohl Ford & Lincoln.
Solar panels continue to power savings at dealership
Although today is Earth Day, the 904 solar panels at Krapohl Ford & Lincoln work year round, providing electricity and generating savings.
“I believe in protecting the environment, and using solar has an even bigger impact with the business than at my house,” said Mark Smith, Krapohl’s general manager and co-owner.
For instance, the original 576 solar panels on the main dealership building went up in 2017. They’ve provided an average of 161.3 megawatt hours each year since then. A megawatt hour is equivalent to 1 million watts of electricity being used for an hour.
The longer summer days in June and July produce the most energy at 22 megawatts per month from the original panels. December (3.5 MWh) and January (3.8 MWh) produce the least. Smith can log in at any time to see updated statistics and real-time performance of the panels.
Once Smith saw an average annual savings of $25,000 from those original panels, he had another 328 solar panels added to the Krapohl Body Shop and reconditioning building last year. The second set of panels is providing approximately 170 MWh per year, giving Krapohl about $45,000 a year in total savings.
“We also switched to LED lights a few years ago, and that has dramatically lowered costs as well,” Smith said. “While solar panels do have a cost for installation, they’ll pay for themselves in seven to nine years.”
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