A university spent $1.6 million to install solar panels atop a parking garage. These panels will have a capacity of 600 kilowatts (kW) and have a life expectancy of 20 years. Suppose that the discount rate is 30%, that electricity can be purchased at $0.20 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), and that the marginal cost of electricity production using the solar panels is zero.

Hint: It may be easier to think of the present value of operating the solar panels for 1 hour per year first.

Approximately how many hours per yearwill the solar panels need to operate to enable this project to break even?

2,814.78?

3,619.00?

4,021.11?

5,227.44?

If the solar panels can operate only for 3,619 hours a year at maximum, will the project break even?