About Us.

In 1997, Gary Gordon, the owner of the glider-ride business at the airport, needed to bring electricity to his remote office. PG&E quoted him thousands of dollars to buy a power pole, all the wire, maybe a transformer and the cost of the installation — and he would still be left with monthly usage charges.

Instead, he installed his first solar system. "It worked great. And it still does. I use it to run power tools, a microwave, and a TV for screening glider videos. It’s a stand-alone system, because I’m still nowhere near the grid."

Gordon and his partner, Carolyn Mortholé, decided in October 2006 that with all the sunshine in the Valley, there was real potential for a successful solar energy company, a locally owned and operated solar company able to provide personalized local service.

Today they install residential systems, as well as designing systems for larger companies and advising do-it-yourselfers. They recently installed five separate solar panel systems at a cattle ranch to power completely self-sufficient water-well pumps.

"Prices are going down," Mortholé adds. "Two months ago I gave a quote and when the panels came in they'd gone down in price—I had to revise the invoice," she laughs.

"I can't imagine anyone not being happy with a solar system," Gordon declares. "It's like a wireless energy receiver from the sun. It's miraculous and it really is the future, there's no question."

Gary Gordon, Carolyn Morthole, partners in Santa Ynez Valley Solar, and Dusty, their Queensland Heeler mix.