'Convince' Investors
"If you can convince your investors and lenders that it's low risk, you can do that," Lepercq said.
The company, unlike most, sets aside a provision to replace panels midway through a project's lifetime rather than assuming they'll last for 20 to 30 years because it expects improved technology to double panel power output in 15 years.
"That means a 5-megawatt plant today will become a 7.5- megawatt plant," Lepercq said. Extra output may be sold in the market as the cost of solar converges with conventional generation, he said.