Solmetric

*Solmetric headquarters in Sebastopol, California

Solmetric was founded by Willard MacDonald, Robert MacDonald, and Mark Galli in 2005. The company was formed around the idea for a device that could electronically predict and analyze the shade at a potential solar installation site.

The SunEye-100 was first introduced at SolFest in Hopland, CA in August 2006. The Solar Pathfinder is a device that was commonly used to measure shade before the SunEye became a popular alternative. Shade measurements became a particularly important part of residential solar site surveys when the California Solar Initiative program began requiring shade measurements in 2006.

The SunEye received the 2007 Top 10 Green Building Products of the Year award from US based Building Green, the 2nd place Innovation Award at the 2008 European PV Solar Energy Tradeshow in Staffelstein Germany, and the 2009 Trophy of Innovation from Salon des Energies Renouvelables at Eurexpo in Lyon, France. By 2010 the SunEye was the primary tool used by residential solar companies for surveying shade.

The PV Designer layout and simulation software product was first introduced in October 2009 at Solar Power International. The software enables the user to layout PV modules on a roof virtually and simulate the energy production, taking into account shade readings from the SunEye.

The PV Analyzer I-V curve tracer (“PVA-600”) was introduced in December 2010 and could measure strings up to 600 Volts and 20 Amps. The PVA-1000 was introduced in September 2013 and added 1000 Volt, 30 Amp capability as well as the SolSensor wireless PV reference which measures the irradiance and module temperature.

Solmetric became a certified B Corporation in 2009. In 2013 Solmetric received the Best for The World Environmental Impact Award in recognition of its sustainable business practices.

In January 2014 Solmetric was acquired by residential installer and solar financier, Vivint Solar.

Learn more about Solmetric and their products on their website here.

Find out more about Solmetric's history on their wikipedia page here.