Sunlight Solar Energy, Inc was founded in 1988 in Sacramento, California by owner and President Paul Israel. Paul, a native of New Hampshire, has a business degree from Temple University and has worked in the the renewable energy business since 1987. He would soon become a pioneer in the US solar industry.  

Paul got his start in energy with a consumer organization called Buyers Up that banded consumers together to negotiate discounted prices for home heating oil and energy conservation home improvements.  In 1980-90, Paul became Vice President of the American Solar Network (ASN), a Herndon, Virginia based solar water manufacturing company, and during his time there he brought ASN to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.   With that success, ASN moved its’ manufacturing and head quaters to Sacramento, CA to join Paul.

Sunlight Solar Energy, Inc. opened it’s first location in Redmond, Oregon in 1997. During this time, the services offered varied from installing Solatubes, to solar for RV’s, to residential solar hot water and solar electric. In 2003 SSE moved it’s operations to sunny downtown Bend, right off the parkway. Over the course of the next few years Sunlight Solar progressed into a company that specializes in solar electric for homes and businesses.

In 2004 Sunlight Solar expanded it’s operations from coast to coast, opening our second office in Milford, Connecticut. With the combination of increasingly high utility costs and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund offering attractive incentives, Sunlight Solar saw the Connecticut solar market as a unique opportunity for growth.

In 2006 SSE gained an important ally joining forces with SunPower as a dealer/installer, and gained Sunpower Premier Dealer status shortly thereafter.  Having the ability to buy dealer direct from SunPower has allowed Sunlight Solar to consistently provide our customers with the best product at the best price, while providing long term warranties and guaranteeing customer satisfaction.

Sunlight Solar has rapidly grown from one employee in 2004 to 52 employees strong in 2009! We were also voted Best Green Business in Bend for 2008 and again in 2009.  In 2009 Sunlight Solar opened a new office in Newton, MA and started installing solar thermal systems out of all our locations.  Due to our large growth between 2008 and 2009, we became direct dealers of three other panel manufactures: Suntech, Evergreen, and Centron.

The need for investing in renewable energy is becoming increasingly more important to more Americans.  Sunlight Solar is excited to provide the opportunity for Oregon, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York residents to become empowered and take control of their energy costs.  We are also busily working on expanding into Nevada and New Hampshire.  In the past few years we have also installed several projects in Rhode Island. Our goal is to install our top-of-the-line renewable systems all over the country.

Sunlight Solar is dedicated to educating our customers and empowering them to make intelligent buying decisions.

Not only are we committed to helping our customers make environmentally responsible buying decisions, our own environmental stewardship is demonstrated by our company-wide use of all bio-diesel and hybrid vehicles, recycled paper products, organic company clothing, sustainable building materials where ever possible, and commuting to work by foot, bus, or bike whenever possible!

Sunlight Solar Energy, Inc is committed to providing you with the highest quality grid-tied solar electric and solar thermal installation for your home or business.  Our company has been dedicated to installing the best renewable energy systems available for over 20 years and we currently work in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon.  We have offices in Milford, CT, Newton MA, Hastings-on-Hudson NY, Portland OR, and Bend OR.

As one of the leading photovoltaic (PV) design and installation contractors in the US, we are proud to be a Premier Dealer of SunPower solar panels and offer a host of other top quality solar panels and components.

Our Solar Thermal team offers years of experience in a variety of installation settings and conditions. Our team installs a variety of thermal solutions including a Solar Domestic Hot Water and Radiant Floor Heating.  We can design a system that is customized to meet your needs.

Sunlight Solar provides professionally designed systems and installations, complete with excellent communication, timely follow-up and outstanding customer service.  We help you take advantage of the best incentives, rebates, and tax credits available to you in your state.   We pride ourselves in our turn-key installations which include all permits, applications, and incentive paperwork for your ease and convenience. 

Sunlight Solar is a member of:

• American Solar Energy Society
• Solar Energy Industry Association
• Solar Energy Business Association of New England
• Northeast Solar Energy Association
• Connecticut Solar
• Building Green Council of Central Oregon
• Central Oregon Builders Association
• The Green Spot
• Blue Sky Business partner with Pacific Power in Oregon
• Oregon Solar Energy Industry Association
• International Association of Electrical Inspectors
• Massachusetts Climate Action Network
• 1000 Friends of Connecticut
• The Connecticut Green Building Council
• Connecticut Power and Energy Society
• PACE:  Partners for a Green Environment
• Association of Energy Engineers