Solis Partners Inc.

Solis Partners Inc. (Solis) operates in New Jersey, a state with more commercial solar system installations than anywhere else in the country. Founded in 2009, the company is a leading provider of turnkey solar power systems for commercial, industrial, utility and nonprofit clients, as well as installs large scale solar power plants.

Jamie Hahn is the co-founder of Solis. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on finance and more than 15 years experience in sales, business development and executive management. He has a strong track record in identifying, building and managing technology based businesses. Hahn has sourced and closed financing for a variety of mid to large scale distributed solar power generation assets. He has serves as the company’s managing director.

Solis is headquartered in Manasquan, N.J. The company provides solar power to clients in the Mid-Atlantic region and is capable of working nationwide. According to Hahn, the United States is 10 years behind Germany as far as energy efficiency and renewable energy is concerned. The business model for Solis has been based of Germany’s advancements.

Solis offers turnkey products, but also a full range of construction services and financial planning to meet many organizations’ needs. Solis works with a number of nonprofits, so making even an expensive project more affordable is important to the company. The company’s staff of 12 is also highly experienced and well rounded in order to understand all aspects of a given job. The firm thus possesses a vertically integrated, cross disciplinary approach for a significant competitive edge.

Wonders of Solar

According to a little fact on Solis’s website, the Earth’s energy demands can be met for a whole year with the amount of sunlight that hits the Earth’s surface in a minute. The primary benefit most people think about with solar power is the reduction of electricity costs. For the employees at Solis, it means much more.

The solar systems Solis works with harness the sun’s energy to create clean, cost effective electricity. This type of energy is unlimited, has no impact on the environment and requires less maintenance. It also decreases an individual’s or businesses’ carbon foot print, reduces reliance on foreign oil and conserves energy.

Solis reminds its clients that in addition to solar power being a lower cost resource, it provides many economic incentives. Clients can receive tax credits, enhance the value of their property and receive funds back through net-metering.

Got the Power

Solis completed a rooftop solar power system for the Parish of Saint Theresa in August 2012. The church is part of the Catholic Diocese of Trenton, N.J. The system is expected to generate 90 percent of the annual electricity usage at the 22,000 square foot facility.

Solis wants potential clients to see the benefits of solar power and works with them to make it happen. This particular project was made possible by the company’s Power Purchase Agreement Program. This agreement requires no capital investment for on-site solar energy. The solar property is owned by a third party investor who sells the energy to the host at a discounted rate. This option provides the host with a lower cost electricity rate and the owner with the federal and state incentives that make solar energy worth the investment.

With the church, Solis owns and operates the 102-kilowatt system. The church receives all the benefits without the upfront costs. Such costs would have prohibited the church from going through with the project. Under the agreement, Solis maintains ownership for 15 years. After that point the parish will assume ownership. This type of system is expected to last more than 25 years.

The system itself consists of 399 solar panels that will likely produce 119,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first year. This electricity production will reduce the CO2 emissions by 180,000 pounds. It equates to offsetting the power demand of 10 residential homes.

The system consists of 399 solar panels that are expected to produce approximately 119,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first year of operation. This equates to the reduction of more than 180,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of offsetting the power demand of 10 residential homes or removing 16 cars from the road each year.

Rev. K. Michael Lambeth of the Saint Theresa’s Parish says, “By producing energy from a renewable source, we’re fulfilling a commitment to the environment and setting a good example for the community that we serve. We’re also able to save money on operating costs, which provides added resources to better serve our parishioners.”

Catching up with Germany

The solar power system market is very dynamic. For Hahn, it’s an exciting market to work in. Solis has to keep its finger on the pulse of solar power trends to keep up. Hahn says the industry is ever evolving and the products are always changing.

Looking ahead, Hahn hopes to expand Solis’s services. He doesn’t just want the company to provide renewable energy, but to maximize the country’s energy efficiency. Continuing to install solar power systems will help with the renewable energy. Hahn says the company has to remain innovative, however, to address energy efficiency and combat issues like global warming.

 With the economy, people, businesses and organizations are looking to save money. Hahn hopes clients are looking past the savings to see all the other benefits too. With the growing demand for alternative energy, Solis Partners is sure to grow more in coming years.