An Austin, Texas-based solar energy company is planting roots in Charlotte with new office space on the city’s north side.
Freedom Solar, a full-service solar installation company for residential and commercial clients, expanded its operations to Charlotte earlier this month when it moved into 12,000 square feet at 2233 Interstate North Drive, near the city’s Druid Hills neighborhood.
Bret Biggart, Freedom Solar chief executive officer, said after opening an office in the Raleigh-Durham region earlier this year, Charlotte seemed like an obvious progression in North Carolina. Freedom Solar also has locations in parts of Texas, Florida and Virginia.
“As we look at growing, we’re looking at places that are underserved in solar and places that look and feel like where we’ve already operated,” he said. “Charlotte has a lot of the same look and feel of Austin … For us, Charlotte looked like a great market as we grow along the Eastern Seaboard.”
Biggart said the company took occupancy on Oct. 1, and its eight employees began working from the space earlier this month. He expects to hire a total of 30 employees in the coming months. About 85% of its customers are residential and 15% are commercial and industrial.
“In the U.S., there are 100 million homes identified as being good for solar solutions, but only four to five million have them installed today,” he said. “In places like Charlotte, there’s a huge amount of demand and opportunity for people to go solar, and that’s what excites us.”