While solar investment becomes more widely apparent in the residential and larger commercial markets, it has yet to get a strong foothold in the small and mid-scale commercial spaces. Local food and retail businesses, for example, often are hesitant to make a large investment upfront for a solar energy system when they are unable to accurately assess the risks of the venture.
However, their caution is lessening according to Wiser Capital’s latest findings and technology. Released today, the “2015 Solar Investment Index,” commissioned from research firm OnePoll, asks corporate investors across the U.S. about their plans for investing in solar over the next five years, as well as the investors’ reasons for and against doing so.
According to Wiser’s executive director Nathan Homan, the report “demonstrates that one in three investors will be backing their first solar project within the next year. And not only that, but a staggering 83% of investors will be making an investment in solar one of their top priorities within the next five years.”
The commercial solar industry is a market notoriously difficult to access, with policy often fragmented and complex. When asked, 46% of investors said the main obstacle in the way of their solar investment was the lack of standardization. Difficulty assessing the risks of investment held 43% back. Overall, 69% of investors would be more likely to invest in solar in 2015 if there was an easier and consistent way to assess risk for a project.
“[M]ore in the solar industry, such as Wiser, [are working] to bridge the gap between facilities, system integrators, and energy investors to make the process of going solar streamlined and pain-free for all parties involved,” Homan notes.
Wiser Capital has created technology and a platform to help investors automate the transaction process for small and medium scale commercial projects. Key features include independent and interactive solar analytics, investment grade financial modeling, a risk rating system and a Wiser Solar Asset Rating (WSAR) Score. The Score allows investors to gauge risk and profitability, reduce time and effort, and provide the standardization, transparency and instruction the market has lacked previously.
To learn more, visit wisercapital.com.
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