21 Feb

Washington's largest solar project is now complete. The 1.27 megawatt project sits atop the new IKEA store in Renton, which opened Wednesday. Here is the project by the numbers: 1.27 MW 3,250 solar panels 4,770 ballast trays (they hold the panels) 22 inverters 16-25 crew members, including electricians, roof techs, and general laborers 244,000-square-feet Will produce 1,261,000 kWh of electricity, the equivalent...

18:15 / News
3 Likes
31 Jan

KidsQuest Children's Museum's new downtown Bellevue location opened to the public after more than a year of renovations. A&R Solar installed a solar energy system on the steep-pitched roof of the museum. And our installation team did it decked out in spandex superhero costumes. A&R Solar donated the system--valued at $25,000--to the museum as part of the Solarize Bellevue campaign. We must admit: It...

17:47 / News
0 Likes
19 Jan

We get asked this question a lot, given that solar panels (aka “modules”) require intensive energy and other resources to manufacture. A subset of environmentalists question how clean and green solar actually is. In fact, Rep. Matt Manweller (R-Ellensburg) asked this question during recent testimony over the proposed solar bill HB 1048 that is working its way through the Washington...

17:39 / FAQ
0 Likes
20 Dec

At the end of each year, employee owners of A&R Solar make cash donations to charities that are important to them. A&R Solar now has 13 employee owners (employees are eligible for ownership after three years with the company), up from six in 2015. The organizations receiving cash donations this year are: Rainier Valley Food Bank (two owners chose this nonprofit) ...

23:08 / Announcements
1 Like
06 Dec

We love talking about solar. We get to do it every day. But it’s pretty hard to stay “little picture” when discussing solar with a homeowner or a corporate sustainability executive. Eventually, conversations about renewable energy in Washington and Oregon hit a “big-picture moment,” and we end up talking about the Pacific Northwest’s favorite energy superstar: hydroelectricity. The good news is...

22:00 / Energy / Sustainability
0 Likes
08 Nov

LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” It is a third-party rating system created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to verify green buildings and encourage sustainable construction, maintenance, and operation. It’s one of the most prestigious, sought-after, and rigorous certifications in the building industry. A LEED certification signals a commitment to the sustainability, health, and well-being of...

21:22 / Commercial / Solar 101
0 Likes
13 Sep

A&R Solar has been named one of Washington's fastest growing private companies by the Puget Sound Business Journal. A&R's revenues totaled more than $12.5 million in 2015, up from $5.7 million in 2014, and just $2.8 million in 2013. The company had 41 full-time employees in January 2016, compared with 27 in 2015, 19 in 2014, and 12 in 2013. A&R specializes...

18:49 / News
1 Like
09 Sep

Conscious Company magazine interviewed A&R Solar CEO Reeves Clippard about the company's philosophy and growth and his vision for the future. What motivated you to make A&R an employee-owned company? RC: I worked for very small companies where I had zero ownership stake, and I worked for mega-national companies where I had zero percent stake, and in both places, there’s this trend...

19:53 / News
0 Likes
18 Aug

This post by A&R Solar CEO Reeves Clippard ran in the Huffington Post. Sitting on top of a roof one rainy winter day in Seattle, my coworker and I talked about how we would do things differently if we ran our own solar installation company. Andy and I agreed that we’d interact with our customers differently. We’d really listen to their...

18:00 / News
1 Like