Valley restaurant The Olive Mill goes green with solar panels

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - A Valley business goes green with solar panels and hopes to break even in five years.

The Olive Mill in Queen Creek on Sunday mornings usually means long lines to get your food.
But customers say it’s worth it. “Oh it’s great,” said one woman eating there today.

But behind the scene the Olive growing operation is doing more than making money, they are hoping to save it by going green. “Our goal was always to be self sustaining” said owner Perry Rea.

But going green isn’t cheap.

Rea had to plop down more than $300,000 for the upgrades that mostly went to his new solar panels that cover the roof of the mill.

But with federal and local incentives Rea says the price tag dropped to about $50,00 which he hopes to recover in energy savings in about five years.

“Without the incentives it would have been a tough choice but with them it makes financial sense,” Rea said.

The Salt River Project is trying to get up to 15 percent of its business and residential customers to go green by giving these incentives.

“The Olive Mill is a great example of what businesses can do,” said Patty Garcia-Likens with SRP. “By using these solar panels the Mill is saving up to 60 percent on energy costs.”

Rea plans to be in business here long past the five-year break-even point.