When operating a business, overhead costs are a significant expenditure that must be overcome in order to generate a profit. It is especially difficult for a retail business to make a profit in the first few years because clientele have to be established, operating procedures need to be standardized, and there is often a large amount of debt associated with purchasing and maintaining the buildings that contain the operation. This is a major financial endeavor for the initial startup costs, and there will be various life costs to operate the building comfortably and attractively both for employees and customers. Reducing operation and maintenance costs are a major goal of any commercial entity. Energy efficient or high performance buildings in addition to generating energy cost savings, improves worker's productivity which intern reduces overall costs. Because energy costs are a major overhead burden on the operation of a company, any innovations that cut down on energy costs will reduce this liability and therefore make the company more profitable. Although, the productivity gains are factored rarely into financial return on investment, much of the studies on this subject indicate that the productivity gains of a more energy efficient building are significant. Our focus on this paper is to investigate the performance costs of a typical retail store of 20 th century compared to that of a high performance prototype green building and the return period of investment.

ABSTRACT:With growing concerns about the future and security of the world's energy supply, various renewable energy technologies have been used thorough the millennium. Renewable energyproduction for the generation of electricity is very appropriate and rather practical for development particularly in rural areas.Finding alternative sources of electrical energy that are both economical and environmentally sustainable is pivotal for improving the quality of life in communities. Photovoltaic-the direct conversion of solar energy into electricity-has a history of about 50 years. This field of study and the resulting industry have been rapidly growing and improving and are expected to become a significant part of the world's energy future. Additionally, the use of solar energy over the recent years has increased dramatically especially in rural areas. This paper will focus on providinga guideline to help utility companies in area who may consider investing in an appropriate renewable electricity generation project and for the responsible agencies to support such investment.Evaluationof renewable energy in general and photovoltaic in particular to produce electricity in the Eastern Shore of Maryland is undertaken in this study.