Is solar worth the investment?

[Spencer Riche]

Hello BP! I'm wondering if anyone has experience installing solar on their buildings? I'm researching whether the return is worth it; the solar will be installed on a 35,000 sqft, flat-roofed office building I have. I'm seeking alternative solutions to decrease the operating energy costs, and/or create an income stream selling excess energy back to the grid. 

For anyone that has installed solar on larger properties, kindly respond to the questions below!

• 1)  What was the rough cost, and what size was the building?
• 2)  Is there a ballpark rule of thumb for calculating system costs? I understand cost varies greatly depending on many factors. (location, building, system, usage, costs, etc).
• 3) What was the ROI? How long did it take, or will it take to return your initial investment?

Thanks!

[Steve K.]

I have systems on a few of my rentals and worked in the solar industry for a long time previously. Whether or not it will make financial sense on your buildings is going to depend on many local and personal factors (electricity rate in your location, type of meter on the property, net metering policy of your local utility, system pricing in your area, solar access/days of sun, local incentives/rebates, tax situation, etc.)  @Andrew Smith could probably give you an idea if it makes sense on your specific properties or not, he's currently active in the industry.