Why Solforce?

Solforce History

Solforce began as an idea in 1993 when our founder and CEO, John Abraham Powell a.k.a. Abe, wanted to find a way to make his own clean energy safely at home.  He had just graduated from Vassar College with a degree in philosophy; his philosophy was that he wanted to stop buying filthy power derived from fossil fuels and nuclear power. Therefore,  he decided to go solar.  At that time, there were no other solar electrical contractors in Santa Barbara, so he did it himself.  He designed and installed his own solar electric system and lived off-grid for 7 years.

“When I first flipped the switch and turned on lights that were completely powered by the sun, something changed inside of me. I was making all of my own power and I wasn’t polluting the environment…and it really worked…and kept on working.  I knew this was something big.” — John Abraham Powell

During the first 7 years of solar living, other people asked for his help in designing, installing and repairing their solar systems.  After a few years of this, Abe realized that Santa Barbara needed someone to step up and make it easy to get solar electricity.  In January of 2001, Solforce was founded.  Our mission is to show how beautiful and easy solar power can be and to create a company that cares about people and the environment.

Solforce started as a small local company with two employees who were dedicated to installing solar better than anyone else had ever done before.  As it turned out, people liked this approach.  Over the years, the company grew, but remained true to its commitment to keep its roots in the community.  In 2008, Solforce expanded its service area to Northern Santa Barbara County and Ventura County because we knew that our neighbors deserved the same excellent service that we had come to show in Santa Barbara.

On January 31st, 2011, Solforce celebrated its 10th anniversary in our new office on Coast Village Road.  After a decade of service, we are energized by our success of our approach and we look forward to many more decades of solar service in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.