Last week Kevin Conlin of Autonomous Power Solutions talked about trends in the solar billboard market.  Today he answers reader questions.

How big a set of solar arrays would you need to run a digital billboard?

It would probably cover several acres.  The solar is economical now but it’s the batteries that are expensive. For a digital, it actually makes more sense to just run a generator.

Are solar costs increasing?

Battery costs have increased about 20-25% in the past year.   Almost all of them are made in China.

Tariffs have hurt the cost of electronic components, some now have 16 week lead times.

Steel had gone up tremendously in the past year.  We build many components of our systems out of steel, for example, we build the battery boxes out of steel for theft integrity.

It’s also supply chain.  In covid, distributors stopped ordering.  Manufacturers stopped manufacturing.  Lead times are now in months instead of weeks.  Battery availability is a big issue right now.

 Where does solar make the most sense?

The top 5 solar states are in the Southwest, however, it always comes down to economics and payback.

Our customers often find opportunities along highways or interstates where the solar resource isn’t ideal, but the numbers make sense. All night restaurants, casinos, truck stop and hotels are often willing to pay for dusk to dawn illumination.

To contact Kevin Conlin call 844-909-9095 or email kconlin@autonomouspwr.com.

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