OPEX Vs CAPEX

Switching to solar power is a commendable move for your business, and a cost-effective one too in the long run. However, there are a lot of underlying technicalities you need to know before making the final move to go green.

When you are considering buying solar power, you would generally find two options in the market – Investing into a rooftop solar plant or buying solar power under a power purchase agreement (PPA). Both the options can be availed under two models: the capital expenditure (CAPEX) model or the operating expenditure (OPEX) model. In this section, we help you make an informed decision by highlighting the differences between the two in terms of their merits and disadvantages, and which model suits your business better.

OPEX

Build-Own-Operate

CAPEX

EPC

APEIRON owns the asset.

OWNERSHIP

Customer owns the asset

Zero upfront investment by the customer. Can instead invest that capital into its core business.

INVESTMENT

100% investment born by customer

Quickly replicable and scalable because additional projects don’t need internal CAPEX approvals

MANAGEMENT APPROVAL TIMELINES

Typically requires long lead time for CAPEX approvals at senior management level.

Pay only for electricity generated, no hidden costs

WHAT YOU PAY FOR

Pay only for O&M charges after system purchase, no tariff for solar electricity generated

20-40% cheaper than Grid electricity Tariff

PER UNIT SAVING

Capital repaid through generated electricity

Turnkey solution, therefore CleanMax bears O&M cost

O&M

Customer pays separately for O&M

Savings from day 1 (Zero days)

PAYBACK

As high as 4 years

APEIRON handles all technical matters

TECHNICAL KNOW HOW

Dedicated team needed at customer’s end to evaluate system design, installation and operation

APEIRON bears all the performance risk and is incentivized to maximized generation because revenues are linked entirely to generation

PERFORMANCE RISK

Customer bears all the performance risk and must manage equipment & downtime losses

No Tax benefits for customer

OWNERSHIP

Customer can claim tax benefit through accelerated depreciation

APEIRON prerogative

REGULATORY RISK AND APPROVALS

Owners prerogative