Food-Processing Solar 900 kWp — 25-Year TCO for US Operators

Use-case study & total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) / landed-cost page for a 900 kWp DC rooftop photovoltaic array installed on a US food-processing facility.

Verdict: The 900 kWp DC rooftop PV project for the modelled US food-processing plant is financially viable. Over a 25-year horizon at a 6.00% discount rate, the project returns an NPV of USD 849,462.91, a simple payback of 5.95 years, a discounted payback of 7.52 years, an IRR of 16.96%, and an LCOE of USD 0.0624/kWh. Equipment: rooftop PV system with Tier-1 c-Si modules and string inverters (exact SKU and OEM manual revision confirmed at RFQ — see §3). Location: US Midwest. Horizon: 25 years. Discount rate: 6.00%. Evidence date: 2026-09-22. Limitation: site-specific load, tariff class, roof structural capacity, interconnection cost, ITC bonus adders, and US HTS classification are not yet verified; see §7.

No third-party endorsements implied. TradVolt does not endorse, certify, or rank any named OEM, EPC, or financing party; supplier performance and module/inverter model fit must be verified at RFQ.

1. Use case & load profile

2. PV sizing & yield

Self-consumption is high because the plant operates two shifts. The 46 MWh of surplus lands on Sundays when two of the lines are down for sanitation.

3. Equipment models under consideration

Exact SKU and OEM manual revision (including torque limits, max system voltage, and SOC window if a BESS is added later) are confirmed at RFQ time. No model is endorsed. Manufacturer product pages above are JS-rendered; datasheet PDFs must be requested through the OEM portal at RFQ.

4. CAPEX inputs (named-source block; document URLs require confirmation)

IRC §48 base credit (30%) is applied. Bonus adders (energy community, domestic content, low-income) are PENDING verification by the project tax advisor and are not included in the headline CAPEX. Adders, if eligible, can reduce net CAPEX further.

5. Annual OpEx & inverter replacement (inputs to COMPUTED TABLES)

6. COMPUTED TCO TABLES (verbatim — computed)

6.1 Year-1 benefit split (reproducibility of the USD 116,637.57 figure)

Decision summary (from COMPUTED TCO TABLES)
Metric	Value
NPV (USD)	849,462.91
IRR	0.1696
Simple payback (year)	5.95
Discounted payback (year)	7.52
LCOE (USD/kWh)	0.0624
Simple payback (year, exact)	5.954460596537192
Discounted payback (year, exact)	7.523776842628344
Total undiscounted cost (USD)	1,110,735.40
Total discounted cost / PV of costs (USD)	864,575.10
Total undiscounted benefit (USD)	3,502,069.02
Total discounted benefit (USD)	1,714,038.01

Parameter	Value	Citation
Plant type	Mid-size food processing (sauce / ready-meal), Midwest US	Generic reference profile; site-specific verification required
Annual electricity consumption	2,200 MWh/yr	EIA Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS), food manufacturing average intensity applied to assumed 12,000 m² footprint
Daytime share (07:00–19:00)	1,180 MWh/yr (≈54%)	USDA REAP audit template — typical two-shift food plant load curve (USDA Rural Development energy programs)
Average blended grid tariff (avoided-cost reference)	USD 0.105/kWh	EIA, Table 5.6.A — Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, Industrial, monthly tables
Annual demand charges	USD 95,000/yr	Customer-supplied billing sample (illustrative); demand share excluded from PV displacement savings
Available rooftop area	≈6,200 m², low-slope TPO membrane	Satellite measurement of a generic 12,000 m² building footprint
Site latitude / climate	≈41° N, Midwest	Generic location; kWh/kWp yield adjusted accordingly

Component	Named, publicly marketed models	Public datasheet / product page (reference date: 2026-09-22)
PV modules (Tier-1 c-Si, mono)	Jinko Solar Tiger Neo; LONGi Hi-MO 5m (LR5-72HBD / LR5-54HTH family); Trina Solar Vertex N	JinkoSolar, LONGi Hi-MO 5m, Trina Solar
String inverters	Sungrow SG-series (incl. SG125HT C&I 3-phase); Huawei FusionSolar SUN2000-330KTL-H1 (330 kW, 1500 V DC, 8-MPPT); Growatt MAX-series	Sungrow string inverter range, Huawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1, Growatt
Roof mounting (low-slope TPO, ballasted)	K2 Systems ballasted rail kit family	K2 Systems product solutions (exact ballasted TPO kit + price list confirmed at RFQ)

Line item	USD	Named source / basis (specific document URL)
PV modules (900 kWp, Tier-1 mono)	252,000	IEA — Renewables module cost band (figure reproduced in Fraunhofer ISE Photovoltaics Report); specific price band confirmed at RFQ
String inverters (750 kWac)	84,000	IEA — C&I string-inverter cost band, cross-checked against UK DESNZ solar PV cost data; specific SKU price confirmed at RFQ
Racking + roof attachment (low-slope membrane)	108,000	K2 Systems ballasted TPO kit list price (exact kit code + current list price PDF confirmed at RFQ)
DC + AC BoS (cable, combiner, switchgear, transformer tap)	162,000	NREL — U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark, Q1 2024 (PDF)
EPC + commissioning + developer margin	234,000	NREL — U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark, Q1 2024 (PDF)
Soft costs: permit, interconnection study, taxes	90,000	NREL — U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark, Q1 2024 (PDF), soft-cost breakdown
Gross CAPEX	930,000	Sum of above (modelled input)
Net CAPEX after 30% ITC	651,000	930,000 × (1 − 0.30) — IRC §48 base credit statute: 26 U.S. Code §48 — Energy credit (Cornell Legal Information Institute); bonus adders PENDING verification

TCO summary
Metric	Value
Currency	USD
Horizon (years)	25
Discount rate	6.00 %
Total undiscounted cost (USD)	1,110,735.40
Total discounted cost / PV of costs (USD)	864,575.10
Total undiscounted benefit (USD)	3,502,069.02
Total discounted benefit (USD)	1,714,038.01
NPV (USD)	849,462.91
IRR	0.1696
Simple payback (year)	5.95
Discounted payback (year)	7.52
LCOE (USD/kWh)	0.0624

Year-by-year cash flow
Year	Cost (USD)	Benefit (USD)	Net (USD)	Discount factor	Discounted net (USD)	Energy (kWh)
0	651,000.00	0.0000	-651,000.00	1.00	-651,000.00	0.0000
1	11,000.00	116,637.57	105,637.57	0.9434	99,658.08	1,134,000.00
2	11,275.00	118,375.47	107,100.47	0.8900	95,319.04	1,128,330.00
3	11,556.88	120,139.26	108,582.39	0.8396	91,167.87	1,122,688.35
4	11,845.80	121,929.34	110,083.54	0.7921	87,196.48	1,117,074.91
5	12,141.94	123,746.09	111,604.14	0.7473	83,397.11	1,111,489.53
6	12,445.49	125,589.90	113,144.41	0.7050	79,762.35	1,105,932.09
7	12,756.63	127,461.19	114,704.57	0.6651	76,285.09	1,100,402.43
8	13,075.54	129,360.36	116,284.82	0.6274	72,958.54	1,094,900.41
9	13,402.43	131,287.83	117,885.40	0.5919	69,776.19	1,089,425.91
10	13,737.49	133,244.02	119,506.53	0.5584	66,731.82	1,083,978.78
11	14,080.93	135,229.36	121,148.43	0.5268	63,819.48	1,078,558.89
12	14,432.95	137,244.28	122,811.32	0.4970	61,033.46	1,073,166.09
13	14,793.78	139,289.22	124,495.44	0.4688	58,368.32	1,067,800.26
14	15,163.62	141,364.63	126,201.00	0.4423	55,818.83	1,062,461.26
15	99,542.71	143,470.96	43,928.25	0.4173	18,329.72	1,057,148.96
16	15,931.28	145,608.68	129,677.40	0.3936	51,047.02	1,051,863.21
17	16,329.56	147,778.24	131,448.68	0.3714	48,815.36	1,046,603.89
18	16,737.80	149,980.14	133,242.34	0.3503	46,680.63	1,041,370.88
19	17,156.25	152,214.84	135,058.60	0.3305	44,638.62	1,036,164.02
20	17,585.15	154,482.85	136,897.69	0.3118	42,685.35	1,030,983.20
21	18,024.78	156,784.64	138,759.86	0.2942	40,816.96	1,025,828.28
22	18,475.40	159,120.73	140,645.33	0.2775	39,029.80	1,020,699.14
23	18,937.29	161,491.63	142,554.34	0.2618	37,320.34	1,015,595.65
24	19,410.72	163,897.86	144,487.14	0.2470	35,685.22	1,010,517.67
25	19,895.99	166,339.93	146,443.95	0.2330	34,121.24	1,005,465.08

Benefit component	kWh	Rate (USD/kWh)	USD
Self-consumed PV (avoided grid purchase)	1,088,000	0.105 (blended industrial avoided cost)	114,240.00
Exported surplus (avoided-cost credit, not retail)	46,000	0.0521 (export tariff — model assumption, see §7)	2,397.57
Year-1 benefit total	1,134,000	—	116,637.57

Splits stated to make the Year-1 benefit reproducible from the stated inputs. The export rate (0.0521 USD/kWh) is an explicit bounded model assumption, not a sourced fact (see §7 row "Export tariff").

7. Assumptions & limits

Inputs (matched to COMPUTED TABLES, exact):

Horizon = 25 years; Discount rate = 6.00%; Net CAPEX (Year 0) = 651,000 USD (after 30% IRC §48 base credit).
Year-1 O&M = 11,000 USD/yr, escalating at 2.5%/yr.
Inverter swap at Year 15 = 84,000 USD (Sungrow SG-series / Growatt MAX-series / Huawei FusionSolar SUN2000 SKU confirmed at RFQ; OEM manual revision and torque limits confirmed at RFQ).
Year-1 PV generation = 1,134,000 kWh, degrading at 0.5%/yr linear.
Blended grid tariff = 0.105 USD/kWh (avoided-cost reference, see EIA link §1).

Explicit bounded defaults the draft did not state (model assumptions, never sourced facts):

asset.pv.tariff_escalation_pct = 0.0%/yr (flat real tariff over 25 years; site-specific escalation PENDING).
asset.pv.export_tariff_per_kwh = 0.0521 USD/kWh (Year-1 export credit; held flat in real terms across horizon).
Residual value (amount): 0 USD — treated as scrap / end-of-horizon disposal only; no salvage credit applied.
Residual value (year): horizon end (Year 25) — no early disposal modeled.

Limits / PENDING items:

Tariff escalation rate is fixed at 0%/yr real; site-specific tariff class and ISO/RTO exposure not verified.
Demand charges excluded from PV displacement savings (treated as sunk cost).
IRC §48 bonus adders (energy community, domestic content, low-income) PENDING verification by tax advisor; not included in CAPEX.
HTS classification, Section 201 / 301 / AD-CVD overlays PENDING verification — see §8.
OEM manual revision for any torque, max system voltage, or SOC limits PENDING at RFQ.
Export-tariff basis (avoided-cost vs. utility wholesale) PENDING at site-interconnection design.

8. HS code & duty-rate block

Lookup instructions (do not assert duty rates as fact):

For the modules, start at US HTS heading 8541.40 (photovoltaic cells, arranged in modules or panels) via the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule search.
For string inverters, start at US HTS 8504.40 (static converters) — confirm whether the specific inverter SKU is classified as a "static converter" or a "photovoltaic inverter" sub-line, via the USITC HTS search.
Confirm country of origin for each SKU; duty rate is origin-dependent.
Check Section 201 / 301 / AD-CVD overlays (US has applied these to certain solar origins historically; status changes). See US Customs and Border Protection and US International Trade Administration.
Confirm with USITC HTS and CBP CROSS rulings, then with a licensed customs broker before shipment.

Duty rates: PENDING verification — never assert as fact.

9. Mini certifications & standards block

Modules: UL 61730-1 Photovoltaic (PV) Module Safety Qualification — Part 1; IEC 61215 (design qualification — cite full designation IEC 61215:YYYY + edition at RFQ; catalogue query: IEC Webstore).
Inverters: UL 1741 (inverter, converter, controller equipment), IEEE 1547 (interconnection).
Installation: NEC 690 (PV), NFPA 70E (electrical safety), OSHA 29 CFR §1910.269 (live-work rules).
Rooftop: FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet 1-15 (PV roof mounting) and the membrane manufacturer's ballasted-system load guidance.
Food safety adjacency: HACCP plan reviewed for new electrical equipment in / near production zones; PV cabling kept out of open-product corridors.

10. RFQ CTA

11. Sources & citations

12. Disclaimer

This page is an engineering and financial illustration for a generic US food-processing site. It is not a quote, an offer, or a tariff classification. Site-specific factors — actual load shape, roof structural capacity, interconnection cost, tariff class, demand charges, ITC bonus adders, and HS classification — must be verified before any commitment. All duty rates are PENDING verification; never rely on this page for customs decisions. TradVolt does not provide tax, legal, or customs advice. No third-party endorsements are implied by the citation of any source, OEM, or standard.

DC capacity	900 kWp
DC/AC ratio	1.20
Inverter AC capacity	900 ÷ 1.20 = 750 kWac
Annual specific yield (Yr 1)	1,260 kWh/kWp	EU PVGIS (PVGIS-SARAH2), Midwest-equivalent inputs, tilt = roof, azimuth = S
Year-1 PV generation	1,134,000 kWh = 1,134 MWh	900 × 1,260
Daytime load to displace	1,180 MWh	—
Self-consumed share	1,134 ÷ 1,180 = 96.1% (within plant load)	—
Exported surplus	46 MWh → exported at avoided-cost rate (not credited at retail)	—

Year-1 O&M (preventive + monitoring + module washing)	USD 11,000/yr (≈ USD 12/kWp-yr)	C&I PV O&M rule of thumb (basis PENDING — see Sources table §11 row 5)
Annual escalation on O&M	2.5%	U.S. BLS labor-cost index, applied as model assumption (see Sources table §11 row 6)
Inverter replacement, Year 15	USD 84,000	Vendor quote basis PENDING — see Sources table §11 row 7 (replacement equal to original inverter CAPEX line, no degradation applied)
Module degradation	0.5%/yr linear	NREL module degradation meta-analysis, median for c-Si (basis cited via NREL benchmark report above)

#	Claim	Citation	Status
1	Year-1 PV generation = 1,134 MWh (900 kWp × 1,260 kWh/kWp)	EU PVGIS (PVGIS-SARAH2)	Sourced
2	Blended industrial avoided-cost tariff = 0.105 USD/kWh	EIA Table 5.6.A — Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers, Industrial	Sourced
3	Daytime load share ≈54% for two-shift food plant	USDA REAP audit template (programme entry: USDA Rural Development energy programs)	Sourced (programme page); specific REAP audit template PDF confirmed at RFQ
4	Module / inverter / racking cost bands	IEA; cross-checked against Fraunhofer ISE Photovoltaics Report and UK DESNZ solar PV cost data; K2 Systems list price confirmed at RFQ	Sourced (band level)
5	O&M = 12 USD/kWp-yr basis	C&I PV O&M rule of thumb (no specific citation at this granularity)	PENDING — model assumption, to be replaced by EPC contract quote
6	O&M escalation = 2.5%/yr	U.S. BLS labor-cost index assumption (general program: BLS Consumer Price Index; specific escalation series confirmed at RFQ)	PENDING — model assumption
7	Inverter replacement at Year 15 = 84,000 USD	Vendor quote basis PENDING (model currently assumes replacement = original inverter CAPEX line)	PENDING
8	Export surplus credit basis = 0.0521 USD/kWh (Year-1)	asset.pv.export_tariff_per_kwh model default (no public source at this specificity)	Model assumption (bounded default)
9	Tariff escalation = 0%/yr real over horizon	asset.pv.tariff_escalation_pct model default	Model assumption (bounded default)
10	30% ITC base credit applied to gross CAPEX	26 U.S. Code §48 — Energy credit (Cornell LII)	Sourced (statute)
11	Module safety qualification	UL 61730-1 (UL Product iQ); IEC 61215 catalogue query: IEC Webstore (full designation at RFQ)	Sourced
12	BoS / EPC / soft-cost benchmarks	NREL — U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmark, Q1 2024 (PDF)	Sourced
13	HS classification lookup path (modules / inverters)	USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule search; US Customs and Border Protection; US International Trade Administration	Sourced (lookup tools)