Written by William Castrillon

If you told me in January that by the end of the year Solar Plus would expand from a small crew of solar installers — completing one residential job after another in an unbelievably hardy ‘05 Chevy Silverado — into our current crew of professional installers rolling deep to commercial projects in a decked out 2015 Nissan NV Cargo Van, I’d believe you. Building on the momentum of a strong 2019, we set our sights for more residential growth and further expansion into commercial solar territory. Our 2020 goals were simple: 

  1. Build at least 300 kW of residential and commercial solar systems in Georgia
  2. Hire, train, and develop our crew members into senior and lead installers
     3. Provide our customers excellent service and support

As our fearless leader, Don T., says “when we form like Voltron, nothing can stop us!” And quite frankly, he’s right – nothing has stopped us. Despite a global pandemic, an overnight national economic shutdown, historic wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding, racial injustice protests, an extremely divisive election cycle, and numerous shocking celebrity deaths, our customers and partners continued to call, and our growing team of installers has been turning wrenches and taking names nonstop in 2020. For Solar Plus, it has been the year of a lifetime and a significant turning point for our organization moving forward. As I book up our install schedule into March of 2021, I’d like to take a moment to stop, slow down, and reflect on this bass-ackwards year by sharing our most prominent accomplishments and favorite installs of 2020. 

Accomplishments: 

By The Numbers 

  • Our GA install team has constructed over 350 kW worth of residential and commercial solar systems and over 120 kWh of residential energy storage through 2020. 
  • Our residential and light commercial projects have produced over 160 MWh of energy this year. The total amount of carbon offset is equated to 158 tonnes of CO₂. 
  • Solar Plus has received 10 positive reviews from previous customers and install partners, along with 15 business referrals provided from current customers.   

Our Team Additions

This year, we have been fortunate to grow our management team with the addition of two new team members. Blake Ginn joined as a project manager in June. Since then, he has learned and experienced many of the trials and tribulations that project managers face in this industry. With his engineering background, accountability and strong work ethic, Blake proved to be a great asset to Solar Plus. Chris Reily joined the team in Augustas the Director of Business Development in commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors. His wealth of institutional knowledge in the solar industry, along with his many years of experience in the southeastern markets, has boosted our commercial and utility portfolios in 2020. It has been great to have them both on the team.

What Our customers Have To Say

From the first moment you contact us on our website to the moment your solar system comes online, we strive to provide our customers with an excellent and stress-free experience. In 2020, our customers consistently comment on our high quality of work, accountability, and professionalism throughout the installation process. They notice the difference, and are vocal about their positive experiences with us through fantastic online reviews and business referrals. This year, we have received several five-star online reviews on our Google, EnergySage, and Yelp profile pages, along with testimonial and drone overhead videos created with the permission of previous customers. Our customers love us, and we love them!

Favorite Projects:

Pole Mounted PV in Lagrange, Georgia — 3.120kWyear in review

We call this build “Small but Mighty” for a reason. At only 3.120 kW, this solar system is split between two 10-foot tall ground mounts that each have 4 panels. Despite the small nameplate capacity, this system has produced an incredible 2.92 MWh of energy since April.

Ground Mounted PV in Fayetteville, Georgia — 20.1kW2020

This 20 kW residential ground mount located in Fayetteville, Georgia is more affectionately called  “The Double Dipper” because despite it being a single structure, it serves two neighboring residences. Since construction in April, this system has produced 20.1 MWh

Roof Mounted PV in Dacula, Georgia — 68kW

Simply put, our crème de la crème installation of 2020 was on a Gwinnett County country club. The system uses 200 panels to build  a 68 kW commercial solar system. Since completing construction in late August, this system has produced a whopping 30 MWh.

 

In 2021, we look forward to growing our team, installing more solar energy systems, and providing clean energy to new customers. Our Voltron formation is just beginning, and we are excited for another prosperous year in 2021.

Give us a call to learn more about the solar energy revolution!