Commercial solar: ROI better, financing still tough (Phoenix)

Commercial solar systems are becoming an increasingly common fixture on Valley rooftops, the product of continued incentives from utility companies and more business owners seeking ways to cut utility costs.

For the first time, many business owners are saying the return on investment for a solar system makes fiscal sense because the turnaround time has been cut to four or five years.

But there still are challenges. Up-front financing can be tough to secure, and the pool of money available for incentives might start to dwindle as more companies tap those resources.

“I think it’s so new, and so many people have just gotten into it, that it’s hard to get a straight story,” said Craig Hughes, CEO of Total Transit Inc., whose company recently installed a 92-kilowatt solar system on the roof of its Glendale headquarters.

Read the full story in the Phoenix Business Journal.