The still-hot solar sector is proving to be the exception to the current deal-making gloom, with groSolar and SolarWrights announcing their respective acquisitions of Chesapeake Solar and Sunsearch.
groSolar, a White River Junction, Vermont-based solar panel installer, added Jessup, Maryland-based Chesapeake Solar's operations to its growing portfolio to expand its reach into several Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania. The firm installs solar electric and hot water systems for homeowners and businesses. It purchases components from several leading solar manufacturers, such as Evergreen Solar. Chesapeake Solar offers similar options to its customers.
Despite its name, Bristol, Rhode Island-based SolarWrights provides a number of renewable energy options in addition to your standard PV, including solar thermal and wind, for residential and business customers. Sunsearch, a Guilford, Connecticut-based firm that has been around since 1975, also designs and installs solar systems throughout New England. SolarWrights has been on a bit of a buying spree of late, also acquiring Springfield, Mass.-based Kosmo Solar in January. With these acquisitions, the company now has 65 employees and 9 offices spread throughout the Northeast.