Clear answer
Clear answer, explained.
For facilities running continuous 24/7 production schedules, solar typically offsets daytime consumption and reduces the amount of electricity purchased from the grid during peak rate periods.
Battery storage can extend the value of solar into evening and overnight periods by capturing excess daytime generation and discharging it when solar output is unavailable. The specific economics depend on the facility's load profile, shift patterns, and rate structure — which is why the assessment starts with utility interval data, not a roof measurement.
Key points
What this means in practice.
- Solar generates during daytime hours and produces zero output at night
- For 24/7 facilities, solar offsets daytime grid consumption and reduces purchases during peak rate periods
- Battery storage extends solar value into evening and overnight periods by capturing excess daytime generation
- The economics of solar plus storage for 24/7 operations depend on load profile, shift patterns, and rate structure
- Assessment starts with utility interval data — not a roof measurement — to model the actual financial outcome
- Solar is sized against the facility's annual electricity consumption profile, not its peak or overnight load
When this applies
Best-fit environments.
- You operate a continuous production facility and want to understand whether solar is viable given 24/7 operations
- You want to understand how battery storage changes the economics of solar for overnight shift operations
- You are evaluating solar for a facility with multiple shifts and want to understand how the financial model accounts for that
- You have been told solar only works for daytime-heavy users and want to understand whether that applies to your facility
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