Sunlight Solar Energy, Inc.

Sunlight Solar Energy has been a Bend, Oregon institution since founder Paul Israel started the company in 1988, making it one of the longest-tenured residential solar PV installers in the Pacific Northwest and arguably in the United States. The company is headquartered at 150 NE Hawthorne Avenue in Bend, with a satellite office in Portland opened by Chance Currington, and over thirty-plus years they have installed solar electric systems for more than 2,000 Oregon homeowners and businesses. What stood out to our research team is the depth of credentialing on the operations side. Sunlight Solar's Oregon system designer, lead electrician, and renewable energy technician are all NABCEP certified, the company holds Oregon Journeyman Electrician licenses and Oregon Limited Renewable Energy Technician licenses, and substantially all of their installers carry the OSHA 10 safety card. They are a member of the Amicus Solar Cooperative, the cooperative buying group that gives independent installers access to better equipment pricing and supplier relationships, which translates into better hardware choices for the end customer. Sunlight Solar designs and installs grid-tied solar electric systems across Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and their Oregon work reflects a fluency with Energy Trust of Oregon incentives, Pacific Power and Portland General Electric net-metering rules, and the permitting peculiarities of Central Oregon jurisdictions like Deschutes County that can frustrate national installers. Their customer-facing communications are notably less salesy than the bigger players in the state, an editorial tone our team appreciated. The company's residential reviews are positive and consistent, with EnergySage and homeowner forums highlighting clean installs and responsive ongoing service, although the company's smaller scale means total review counts on Google are lower than the larger regional players. Prospective customers willing to trade brand recognition for a long-tenured local outfit with deep technical credentials will find Sunlight Solar a credible choice. With a composite score of 74.0 out of 100, Sunlight Solar Energy holds the third-ranked position in Oregon for 2026.