If Utah County rooftops are to be believed, the solar industry is growing at a solid rate.

Hard data backs that up as well. California put a mandate into place in May requiring all new homes to have solar power. According to information from the Solar Energy Industries Association , the United States "installed 2.5 gigawatts of solar PV capacity in Q1 2018 to reach 55.9 gigawatts of total installed capacity, enough to power 10.7 million American homes." This number represents a 13 percent increase from 2017.

During the same timeframe, some Utah County solar energy companies posted higher growth numbers than the national average. But others went dark.

Mint Solar in Lehi came on the scene in January in a big way, announcing it had partnership agreements with Sam's Club stores across the nation. Only a few months later, the company's office is barren and repeated calls and emails to the company go unanswered. Former customers as far as Charlotte, North Carolina , and San Antonio complain of installs or rebates still owed to them.

Barely a year ago, Legend Solar was earning business awards one after another, including a spot on the Inc. 5000 list. But this spring, according to a post on the company website, it ran into "a cashflow problem" which led to the dissolution of some significant partnerships, and some regulatory action by the state.

"They call it the solar coaster for a reason. It has its ups and downs," said David Bywater , CEO of Vivint Solar .

Despite other companies' setbacks, Bywater said Vivint Solar , which is a large publicly-traded company, is solidly doing well. He credits Vivint Solar's financial discipline, innovation and dedication to sustainability as an important factor in their stability.

"Our assets are 30- to 35-year assets and our goal is to be built to last," Bywater said in a phone call this week, adding that Vivint Solar plans to be around to service those solar panels even longer.

Bywater said the industry has had its challenges. Just two years ago, Vivint Solar was poised to open a Nevada market, but ran up against severe lobbying by the established power company there and stringent government regulation. Vivint had to pull back from the state, a move that resulted in some layoffs.

Through the efforts of Nevada residents, though, who demanded solar energy as an option, things quickly turned around, and the company expanded there last year.

"Now it's a phenomenal market, one of our fastest growing," Bywater said.

Vivint Solar is now in 22 states, and employs about 4,500.

Every time a solar company expands into a new state, there are multiple mountains to climb. Doug Robinson , CEO of LGCY Power in Lehi , said it's a challenge sometimes just to break into a new area within a state, due to disparate utility companies. LGCY Power is in 16 states, and each new area they move into requires a new business review and an intricate understanding of the state's tax credits, net metering, legislation and regulations.

"A lot of small companies come in and want to be the next LGCY, Sunrun or Vivint Solar , but they don't know how complex it is. We're a financing company, an energy company, a construction company. In every area, you deal with multiple state and local regulations, multiple utilities, even multiple HOAs," Robinson said by phone Thursday.

Greg Butterfield , LGCY board chairman, said he is seeing a lot of consolidation within the industry as some of these smaller opportunistic companies get into the fray, and realize they are not prepared for the complexities of the business. This volatility has damaged the reputation of the solar industry, but he feels the market is settling, and customers are benefiting.

Both men believe the industry can is going to continue to grow and that growth can be maintained. LGCY Power recently introduced a line of solar batteries to its product line, giving customers the ability to manage own energy consumption and creation. Butterfield said this is putting the power grid in the hands of the consumer instead of large coal companies, giving residents more freedom of choice - not to mention mitigating some significant air pollution issues that historically have accompanied the electric generation industry.

LGCY Power and Vivint Solar also offer diversified purchasing and lease options for residential solar customers. Bywater said this is important because customers can choose the route that makes the most sense and saves them the most financially.

Robinson said education about solar choices is a must for new customers. The process from initial contact to actual installation and maintenance is a complicated one, and consumers who understand the process and their options will get more out of their purchase or lease. One of the most important first steps to entering the process is to find a reputable company that will still be around as the solar panels age.

"If somebody pulls up and is using their snowmobile trailer to do an install, they might not still be in business next year," Butterfield joked.