Australia has covered homes in solar with more than 22 GW installed. Business rooftops tell a very different story at just 5.6 GW installed and new installs flat at around 600 MW a year. The roofs are there. The daytime load is there. Commercial sites use most power when the sun is up for cooling, refrigeration, lighting and operations. So what is stopping projects from getting built?

A major June 2026 industry review of commercial and industrial solar and storage points to two commercial roadblocks above all else. Both are what MetroElectro is built to remove.

Problem 1: Strong returns still lose in the boardroom

Large commercial solar over 100 kW typically pays back in 5 to 6 years at returns of more than 20 percent. Solar plus storage typically pays back in 3 to 5 years. On paper, this beats most core investments. In practice, energy loses in the boardroom. It is viewed as non core spend. Capital and management time go to core growth first. Hurdle rates for energy stay high. Projects wait for internal funding that never arrives.

MetroElectro’s Fix: Zero capex power that saves from day one

We fund, own, operate and maintain the full solar and storage system at our cost. There is no lease fee and no system for you to buy. You simply buy the clean power generated on your roof at a lower rate than the grid, so savings start from day one with no payback to defend.
We also handle the complexity that kills internal business cases. Tariff modelling, demand charge strategy, and grid connection management that can otherwise drag for months across different networks. You get one simple power agreement and lower bills.

Problem 2: Leased roofs strand the best projects

Most commercial and industrial space is leased. The owner controls the roof and approves capital works but never pays the power bill. The occupier pays the bill and wants the saving but cannot commit a 10 to 25 year asset on a 3 to 5 year lease. Standard workarounds rarely scale. Upgrade agreements vary by council and embedded networks suit only large centres.

MetroElectro’s Fix: Built for leased assets, no asset to strand

We agree terms once with owner and occupier. We install and own the system, with no lease fee to either party. Whoever pays the power bill buys the lower cost solar power generated on that roof. The landlord gets a stronger, more sustainable building with zero spend that supports tenant attraction and retention, the occupier gets immediate bill savings with no asset to strand at lease end. If tenancy changes, the arrangement transfers cleanly.

Result: empty roofs become operating power stations with zero capex, zero disruption and zero system risk to carry.
If you own or occupy commercial or industrial space, talk to MetroElectro to see what your roof could generate and save.
Read more about this at: https://ieefa.org/resources/unlocking-clean-energy-potential-australian-business-rooftops