5 MWp Factory Solar in the US: Use-Case & 25-Year TCO Breakdown

TradVolt Research · Use-case model · Reference case: 5,000 kWp rooftop + carport hybrid · Location: US Midwest composite (IL/OH/PA tilt) · Horizon: 25 years · Evidence date: 2026-05-14 · All financial figures computed by TradVolt's scenario TCO model from the inputs in §2; numbers in the COMPUTED TABLES below are computed. Limitation: model assumes the bounded defaults in §2 and §10; conclusions do not extend to non-Midwest climates, non-LIST/EN-ED inverters, or racking outside the named OEM family without re-running.

Verdict (at a glance)

1. Use-Case Snapshot

A mid-sized US factory with a 25,000 m² usable roof footprint and 6,000 m² of parking canopies installs a hybrid 5 MWp solar PV system to offset grid purchases during daylight production hours and lock in a portion of its electricity cost against utility tariff inflation. The reference equipment stack uses Trina TSM-NEG19RC.20 580 Wp n-type TOPCon modules (datasheet: https://www.trinasolar.com/us-en), Sungrow SG125HV 1500 V DC string inverters (product range: https://www.sungrowpower.com/en/products/string-inverter; SG125HV datasheet confirmed at RFQ), and a K2 Systems S-Rack rooftop rail + N-Rack carport/ground-mount hybrid (https://k2-systems.com/en/product-solutions/k2-n-rack-system/; rail kit datasheets confirmed at RFQ).

2. Inputs Table (every figure with an inline citation)

All per-Wp capex lines, O&M, insurance, escalation, and discount-rate rows are model inputs that feed the COMPUTED TABLES in §9 and are stated as bounded assumptions because no single computed US C&I rooftop benchmark of those exact OEM combinations is available. Equipment identity (module/inverter/racking model family) is sourced to the OEM product pages above; exact datasheet PDFs and manual revisions are confirmed at the RFQ stage.

3. Equipment Family Used in the Reference Case

4. Compliance Artefacts (US 5 MWp factory PV)

5. HS-Code Reference & Duty Treatment

Lookup instructions: confirm the exact 10-digit HTSUS number via the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule search for the shipment's port of entry and country of origin before customs filing. Duty rates above are marked PENDING and must not be treated as asserted facts. Customs classification, duty rate, Section-201/301 applicability, and rules-of-origin determinations are made by US Customs and Border Protection (https://www.cbp.gov/) and the USITC at the time of entry. Always confirm with a licensed customs broker.

6. Computed TCO Summary (verbatim from scenario model)

7. Year-by-Year Discounted Cash Flow (verbatim from scenario model)

The scenario model's Cost column already embeds the year-0 capex (USD 3,445,000) plus the escalating annual OPEX stream; Benefit is the electricity-savings stream escalated at 2.5 %/yr; both sides are discounted at 7.50 %. NPV = Σ Discounted net + undiscounted residual contribution (residual_value.amount = 0 per the bounded default) = USD 4,814,457.80. Discounted payback = 6.92 yr (≈ 6.92 undiscounted-equivalent years from the equation). Simple payback = 5.30 yr (≈ 5.30 undiscounted-equivalent years from the equation). LCOE = PV(costs) / PV(energy) = USD 0.0576/kWh.

8. Sensitivity Sweeps (model output — same computed table style)

Sensitivities below vary ONE input on top of the base case in §2; all other inputs held constant. Each cell is recomputed from the same discounted-cash-flow engine as the COMPUTED TABLES.

8.1 Sensitivity to electricity-price escalation

LCOE is invariant to electricity escalation because LCOE divides PV(cost) by PV(energy), neither of which depends on the savings stream. NPV and payback improve with higher escalation.

8.2 Sensitivity to discount rate (WACC)

8.3 Sensitivity to installed capex (±20 %)

8.4 Sensitivity to specific yield (climate)

9. Verdict by Scenario (against the $9.81 M positive-NPV base)

10. Bounded Model Assumptions (explicit defaults)

• Residual value at year 25: USD 0 (residual_value.amount = 0, residual_value.year = 25). Owner-side salvage, decommissioning cost, and any inverter/module repowering credit are excluded unless separately modelled.
• Discount rate: 7.50 %/yr, applied uniformly to costs and benefits.
• Energy yield: 1,420 kWh/kWp/yr (year-1), US Midwest composite (IL/OH/PA tilt) per PVGIS reference.
• Performance ratio: 84 %.
• Degradation: 0.5 %/yr linear year-1 → year-25.
• Electricity price: USD 0.105/kWh blended, escalating 2.5 %/yr.
• Self-consumption share: 85 %; export tariff: USD 0.055/kWh.
• O&M: USD 14/kWp/yr fixed. Insurance: 0.25 % of capex/yr.
• Inflation of opex and benefit streams: 2.0 %/yr and 2.5 %/yr respectively (already embedded in the COMPUTED TABLES).

11. Calls to Action

Request a fixed RFQ for a 5 MWp US factory solar plant

The CTA above points to the live TradVolt RFQ form. Equipment identity, datasheet revisions, and project-specific certification numbers are confirmed with the selected EPC at the RFQ stage.

12. Sources & References

• Trina Solar US — module family landing page: https://www.trinasolar.com/us-en
• Sungrow — string-inverter product range: https://www.sungrowpower.com/en/products/string-inverter
• K2 Systems — N-Rack ground-mount / carport product page: https://k2-systems.com/en/product-solutions/k2-n-rack-system/
• K2 Systems — corporate landing page: https://k2-systems.com/en/
• UL 61730-1 Photovoltaic (PV) Module Safety Qualification — Part 1 (exact product page): https://www.shopulstandards.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=UL61730-1
• IEC 61851-1:2017 Electric vehicle conductive charging system — Part 1 (exact document page): https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/33644
• IEC Webstore (for any other IEC standard cited): https://webstore.iec.ch/
• EIA — Electric Power Monthly (commercial electricity price band): https://www.eia.gov/electricity/
• EIA — Annual Energy Outlook (commercial escalation band): https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/
• USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule search (HS / duty lookup tool): https://hts.usitc.gov/
• US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — customs decisions at time of entry: https://www.cbp.gov/
• EU PVGIS photovoltaic calculator (year-1 generation input, US Midwest composite): https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/
• IEA PVPS — Trends in PV Applications 2024 (PR / degradation bands): https://iea-pvps.org/trends-reports/trends-in-pv-applications-2024/
• Fraunhofer ISE — Photovoltaics Report (cost / performance reference): https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/publications/studies/photovoltaics-report.html
• UK DESNZ — solar PV cost data (C&I EPC benchmark): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-pv-cost-data
• TradVolt RFQ form (live): /rfq/

© 2026 TradVolt · Reference case published 2026-05-14.