groSolar

Source: Energy Digital

Date :2/18/2008 3:56:50 AM

groSolar is a national leader in solar energy. Its mission is to help customers beat global warming by using solar energy to power their homes and businesses and heat their water and air

Written by Ian Armitage and produced by Jon Ellingwood

A national leader in solar energy, groSolar is the brainchild of Jeff and Dori Wolfe, the husband and wife combo who in 1998 wanted to do something about global warming. How did they do this? They started selling renewable energy products out of their home!

It all started with one employee, which quickly became five, and then 25. The company soon moved out of the Wolfe family home into real headquarters in the largest ex-supermarket warehouse in White River Junction, Vermont. At this point, the Wolfe’s decided to concentrate on solar energy, changed the company name to groSolar and set about installing as much solar as quickly as it could.

Talking on groSolar’s corporate website, Jeff Wolfe gives Exec a great insight into the company’s unique origins: “groSolar was founded in 1998 as Global Resource Options. My wife Dori Wolfe and I, both degreed engineers with a history in large building design, founded the company to bring sustainability to design, and renewable energy to more people. Starting with small off-grid solar projects and moving into on-grid projects as technology became available, groSolar made a mark with customer service and strong engineering abilities.

“In 2001, we decided that groSolar would take on only work involving renewable energy or sustainable design. This set our course for the company. September 11, 2001, marked an emotional turning point for us, and we determined to do whatever we could to move the US toward a sustainable energy future, believing that this will have a substantial impact on terrorism.

“Already successful in residential solar electricity and hot water, 2002 saw our first commercial project for groSolar, the DASNY building in Albany, NY. We extended residential installation services throughout New York, in addition to Vermont and New Hampshire.

“While continuing our direct solar installation business, we also began work as a photovoltaic distributor in 2004. We feel that groSolar played an important role in the aggressive market expansion in New Jersey in 2004 and 2005. groSolar was first-to-market with several innovative distribution strategies, now adopted by the industry.

“In December 2006, we expanded groSolar to serve all of North America with our acquisition of Energy Outfitters. With warehouses across the US and Canada, groSolar now has the broadest solar distribution network in North America. Our solar installation offices continue to expand; groSolar now serves all major US solar markets with either a company-owned office or a solar dealer-partner office.”

Mission possible

groSolar’s mission is to beat global warming by convincing people to use photovoltaic (PV) cells as a way of satisfying their energy needs. These cells are typically placed on roofs and in fields, giving customers energy independence and security.

What exactly is PV though? It is a solar power technology which uses solar cells or solar photovoltaic arrays to convert light from the sun directly into electricity. The manufacture of PV cells has expanded dramatically in recent years, increasing by an average of 48 percent each year since 2002 according to some sources. This makes it one of the world’s fastest-growing energy technologies – second only to wind power. At the end of 2007, says preliminary data, cumulative global production was 12,400 megawatts.

Financial incentives, such as preferential feed-in tariffs for solar-generated electricity and net metering have supported solar PV installations in many countries including, Germany, the UK, Japan and the United States, and are seen as reasons as to why solar production has enjoyed marked success. However, more needs to be done.

Extra funding: a $10 million growth spurt

A little over one month ago, groSolar announced it has secured a mammoth $10 million in its second round of funding. The company raised $2.25 million in the first round in September 2006, with previous investors SJF Ventures, Calvert Social Funds, and Allco Financial Group joining lead investor NGP Energy Technology Partners this time around to raise this massive sum.

Such investment has helped groSolar grow from being just an installation business into a considerable distribution business as well. And it is now one of the top five distribution companies in the US.

Compared to competitors such as AEE Solar or DC Power Systems, groSolar is the newest entrant into the solar distribution arena and is growing quickly, using its experience as an installation business to differentiate itself in a competitive market.

This round of funding will be used by groSolar to continue to grow its solar distribution service as well as residential and commercial services. The company will also use the capital to make acquisitions on the residential side in selected areas and acquire intellectual property. Additionally, according to Wolfe, it plans to expand its marketing and dealer training.

Global crisis: What can be done?

If scientists are to be believed the crisis of global warming is even worse than many first thought or even feared. Daily front page headlines of environmental disasters such as tsunamis - or hurricanes in the case of New Orleans - give us an inkling of what we should expect in the future if we continue on our current ‘energy-greedy’ path. This makes the work of organizations like groSolar increasingly significant.

The situation is by no means hopeless. However, without stronger governmental leadership the advances made in technologies such as PV, which are giving us the tools to cut carbon emission, break our dependency on fossil fuel and move to more sustainable and efficiency energy, might be in vain.

It seems huge strides have been made; all that is needed now is a commitment to following the renewables plan through to the end – leading to a brighter future for all.

GroSolar today distributes China-based Suntech and Marlboro, Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar’s photovoltaic panels and complete PV systems to a network of about 400 dealers across the country. The company is currently Evergreen Solar’s largest U.S. distributor.

The extra funding groSolar has secured could well help provide a platform for further expansion in the solar power market, helping more and more people gain access to this wonderful source of renewable energy.