Had a meeting with an office building developer yesterday and we reviewed a migration path for renewables on their project.

They are merchant builders--they permit, manage construction risk, and then sell--so the long term benefits of pv, and the multiplier effect on residual value, is not compelling for them.  They focus on first costs, not life cycle costs.

"PV ready" was my recommendation to them.  PV ready is defined as:

• the future array area is mapped out, and an array is sized based on general performance data.
• the future inverter location and point of grid interconnection is selected.
• Provide DC only conduits from the array location to the inverter location,
• Provide AC conduits from the inverter connection to the point of interconnection
• The bus at the point of interconnection is sized per NEC for backfeeding the PV power production, and
• We certify the project as "PV Ready" and stand by to reserve the California Performance Based Incentive, and design, permit and provision the system--all the owner needs to say is GO.

When this builder sells the property, their brokers can advertise it as "PV Ready", and the new owner, who will be more focused on life-cycle costs, can reduce their carbon footprint and operating costs through a PV power system--the conduit will already be there.  Now that's thinking ahead.  There is a value to the builder of such thinking ahead.  This property is worth more than one that isn't PV ready--more than the incidental cost of installing the conduits and getting the certification.