McDonough Toyota, a car dealership and service center in Staunton, Virginia, recently added solar to the top of its showroom. The family owned and operated business with 45 years of service selected Tiger Solar (formerly Altenergy) to design, build and install the 92.625-kW system, expected to offset 100% of the electricity needs in the dealership’s service center.

McDonough Toyota stands to reap tremendous benefits from solar energy, especially when it comes to lowering operating costs and powering increasingly large fleets of electric vehicles. This project is the fourth solar-powered dealership in Shenandoah Valley that Tiger Solar has managed from design and engineering to procurement and construction. Tiger Solar’s dealership partners in the Valley include CMA’s Chrysler, CMA’s Valley Honda and Consumers Auto Warehouse.

“I started looking into solar a year ago,” said Steve McDonough, president of McDonough Toyota. “Toyota’s Hybrid technology revolutionized the car industry, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at some options on reducing our carbon footprint. Solar is great for the environment, and I can save money at the same time. Tiger Solar’s local team did a great job. They pretty much ran with everything through Dominion Energy and even helped me secure my tax credits.”

Automotive dealerships can reap great benefits from solar power, particularly due to high energy costs and ample flat roof space. Incentives and benefits like the ITC and Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery Systems (MACRS) have motivated many commercial businesses to consider solar and save on operating expenses.

News item from Tiger Solar (formerly Altenergy, Inc.). Updated to correct the kilowatt size of the array at 11:18 a.m. ET.