Eleven solar companies have climbed into the upper tier of the Inc. 500/5000 lists, including Maryland’s Astrum Solar, which was ranked second. We’ve put together a brief on each company that made the Top 500 and included its position. Interestingly, all the companies were founded in a four-year period between 2004 and 2008, according to Inc. Also, Astrum was one of two companies from the smaller state of Maryland to make the list.

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Astrum Solar, No. 2

Annapolis Junction, Md.
Three-year Growth: 23,577.3%
2011 Revenue: $26.9 million
Employees: 150

Founded in 2007, the residential solar installer says it believes that presenting a simple solar process for consumers will lead to its widespread adoption. Astrum has six operation centers, servicing a dozen states from Michigan to Virginia, and the company says it’s one of the country’s top aggregators of residential Solar Renewable Energy Credits. It most recently opened in office outside Boston to service customers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The company provides both lease and own options for customers. Astrum’s website features a prominent solar calculator, with easy-to-use sliding scales and graphics. Its president, Vadim Polikov, holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering and previously founded American Journal Experts, an editing company for academic publishing.

 

OnForce Solar, No. 43

Bronx, N.Y.
Three-year Growth: 5,058.5%
2011 Revenue: $14.9 million
Employees: 22

In an article by Crain’s New York Business, CEO Charles Feit says the first two years of his business were rough. But since its start in 2007, the company says it has become an authority on New York City’s complex solar process. It also reports doubling its staff in the last year. Taking OnForce from his home to a regular office building in 2010, Crain’s recently named Feit a top entrepreneur. OnForce installs mainly commercial arrays, according to Crain’s, but has residential and utility options, as well. The company notes on its website that solar is a low-risk, high-reward investment. The company offers financing options including PPA, operating lease and conventional financing.

 

Solar Alliance of America, No. 45

San Diego, Calif.
Three-year Growth: 4,800%
2011 Revenue: $9.8 million
Employees: 40

The residential installer says its superior customer service and word-of-mouth referrals have led to its growth. CEO Artie Rose says he started out in solar in 1984 in Fresno, Calif., and founded Solar Alliance of America in the last five years. The company prominently offers on its a website a $50 gift card for receiving a free completed estimate.

 

FLS Energy, No. 109

Asheville, N.C.
Three-year Growth: 2,726%
2011 Revenue: $39.1 million
Employees: 70

Designing and installing at all scales, from residential to military, this company considers itself a leader in solar for the hospitality industry. FLS say such installations not only reduce a hotel’s operations costs, but also appeal to the conscience of environmentally minded consumers. CEO Michael Shore has worked for two decades on energy and environmental issues and has written extensively on sustainability topics. The company was founded in 2006.

 

AllEarth Renewables, No. 148

Williston, Vt.
Three-year Growth: 2,216.9%
2011 Revenue: $20 million
Employees: 24

CEO David Blittersdorf grew up in Vermont, within view of Grandpa’s Knob, the site of the world’s first large-scale wind turbine. He says it’s a sight that inspired his fascination with renewable energy. In 2005, he founded Earth Turbines, which created small-scale wind turbines. In 2009, the company added the AllSun Tracker and solar energy systems to its portfolio, requiring an update to the company name. AllSun Trackers are solar panels mounted on poles installed in the ground.

 

BrightSource Energy, No. 158

Oakland, Calif.
Three-year Growth: 2,146.5%
2011 Revenue: $159.1 million
Employees: 413

This California company focuses on solar thermal technology. The USC CMAA Green Symposium awarded BrightSource for being part of the Ivanpah project, the symposium’s project of the year. The 392-MW gross solar complex in southeastern California will use the company’s power tower solar thermal technology, which generates high-temperature steam to turn a turbine. Its CEO, John Woolard, co-founded Silicon Energy, one of the first successful clean tech companies.

 

Vanguard Energy Partners, No. 212

Branchburg, N.J.
Three-year Growth: 1,723.9%
2011 Revenue: $111.2 million
Employees: 80

A national solar construction firm, Vanguard has designed and installed over 50 MW of solar projects since 2008. Among the installations is the 128-kW “highest solar array in the world,” located at the the top of the Deutsche Bank in New York City. CEO Nelson Ferreira exploits his technical expertise with a hands-on approach to managing the company. The firm promotes The Vanguard Advantage, which is a total-solution program for customers, from financing to installation to maintenance.

 

SunDurance Energy, No. 216

Edison, N.J.
Three-year Growth: 1,681.4%
2011 Revenue: $56.2 million
Employees: 34

SunDurance says it allows customers at megawatt-scale levels to buy solar power the way they buy grid power – by paying a monthly payment competitive with grid electricity prices. The company fronts the initial installation cost. The company is a part of The Conti Group, a leader in infrastructure development. Among its installations is one at the NY Jets’ headquarters and training center. The system comprises 3,000 solar panels on the facility’s standing seam metal roof using a non-penetrating mounting system.

 

Clary Solar, No. 295

San Diego, Calif.
Three-year Growth: 1,255.5%
2011 Revenue: $4.1 million
Employees: 16

Installing residential and commerical systems, the San Diego Business Journal recently ranked Clary as the 14th fastest growing company in San Diego. The company websites includes a tutorial for first-time solar adopters called “Home Solar 101.” Clary, which was founded in 2008, offers a free site assessment which includes a 3D model of the customer’s home as it would appear with solar panels. Clary claims to “live and breathe” its commitment to the environment.

 

Hawaii Energy Connection, No. 349

Waipahu, Hawaii
Three-year Growth: 1,065.5%
2011 Revenue: $18.7 million
Employees: 34

The island state’s leader in photovoltaic with over 1,000 installations, the company offers complete solutions for residents and businesses. Founded in 2007, the company says it succeeds by keeping products and marketing simple, and it says about 40 percent of new business comes from existing customer referrals. Hawaii Energy Connection, or HEC, is the third fastest growing company in Hawaii, having managed about half of all residential solar installations in the state over the past few years.

 

Standard Solar, No. 439

Rockville, Md.
Three-year Growth: 850%
2011 Revenue: $42.7 million
Employees: 80

Since 2007, CEO Tony Clifford has led Standard Solar’s rapid growth into a nationally known PV developer. Standard Solar‘s first residential customer was Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association. In the years since its founding in 2004, Standard’s mission has been solving the world’s energy and environmental challenges through renewable energy applications, and has installed solar on nearly 1,000 households to do just that. The company also installs commercial- and utility-scale systems.

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And in case you haven’t heard, we’re putting together a list of our own: The Top 100 Solar Contractors. To learn more, click here.

Solar Power World

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Filed Under: Renewable energy

 

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