Originally published by Siteline; Written by Claire Wilson.
Most of us have had a solar contractor show up at our doors trying to convince us to install solar panels on our homes. But solar contracting isn’t limited to the panels popping up on residential rooftops. Commercial solar contractors are helping governments, schools, developers, and communities make the switch to solar energy.
This article profiles the top commercial solar contractors driving the change toward renewable power.
Commercial Solar Industry and Outlook
The US solar industry is booming, with a 35% year-over-year growth in 2023. Solar energy represents nearly half of all new electricity-generating capacity added to the grid last year. Over 10,000 solar contracting companies employ 263,000 people. The demand for solar energy in commercial, industrial, agricultural, school, government, and nonprofit buildings is only growing due to net zero initiatives, evolving regulations, and tax credits, to name a few reasons.
Commercial solar contractors play a critical role in the shift to alternative energy sources. Their services are in high demand as they’re brought in on construction projects to:
- Design, install, and maintain high-producing commercial solar energy systems for both existing and new structures.
- Plan system configurations
- Measure and assemble support structures for solar panels
- Install solar modules and panels
- Connect panels to the electrical system.
Top 36 Commercial Solar Contractors
Solar Power World publishes a list of Top Solar Contractors every year. The 2023 list reached 420 solar energy providers, including residential, utility, and commercial solar contractors. It’s a lot to sort through, so we did a little digging to figure out which contractors are leading the pack when it comes to commercial solar energy.
We narrowed it down to 36 commercial solar contractors with 50 or more employees. Over a dozen of them are located in California and New York, two states leading the way in alternative energy. Collectively, these contractors installed over half a million new kilowatts (KWs) of solar energy in 2022, not including re-installation, service, and maintenance work.
Here’s our list of the top commercial solar contractors in the US.
| Company | # of Employees | Headquarters |
| A.M. Sun Solar | 92 | CA |
| AFC Solar | 65 | TX |
| All Energy Solar | 271 | MN |
| American Sentry Solar | 106 | MD |
| Arch Solar | 100 | WI |
| Berkowatts Electric | 125 | NJ |
| Boston Solar | 90 | MA |
| Brooklyn SolarWorks | 70 | NY |
| Creative Energies | 60 | WY |
| Freedom Solar Power | 760 | TX |
| Geoscape Solar | 58 | NJ |
| Got Electric | 85 | MD |
| Harmon Electric | 94 | AZ |
| Harvest Power | 65 | NY |
| ISO Solar | 80 | PR |
| Jefferson Electric | 60 | IN |
| John Mills Electric | 125 | NY |
| M Bar C Construction | 150 | CA |
| M.L. Schmitt | 68 | MA |
| New Era Electric | 50 | CA |
| Positive Energy Solar | 121 | NM |
| Puget Sound Solar | 60 | WA |
| Renova Energy | 300 | CA |
| Renu Energy Solutions | 94 | NC |
| Resolute Performance Contracting | 70 | AZ |
| ReVision Energy | 380 | ME |
| RevoluSun Mountain States | 52 | ID |
| RevoluSun Smart Home | 180 | HI |
| Sandbar Solar | 60 | CA |
| Scudder Solar Energy Systems | 50 | CA |
| Solar by CIR | 150 | NY |
| Solar Holler | 109 | WV |
| Solar States | 54 | PA |
| SUNation Energy | 175 | NY |
| Sunrise Power Solutions | 92 | NY |
| Teichert Solar | 150 | CA |
1. Freedom Solar Power
Headquarters: Austin, TX
Company Size: 760 employees
Freedom Solar Power is a full-service solar company that originated in Austin, TX, in 2007 as a small operation installing solar panels on homes across Texas. Today, it has 11 offices across five states and is the trusted solar partner for national brands like Whole Foods and Office Depot. With 760 employees, Freedom Solar Power is the largest commercial solar contractor in the US.
Freedom has both residential and commercial service divisions. Its commercial portfolio includes solar energy systems for auto dealerships, multi-family housing units, education and healthcare campuses, hotels, restaurants, manufacturing facilities, and retail and office buildings. Services range from sales and financing of solar panels all the way to installation and maintenance.