Real Goods Solar makes going solar simple and seamless. Enjoy the benefits of our decades of experience in expert design, installation, grid connection, rebate paperwork and more, and know that our exceptional customer service will always be there for you.

 Real Goods Solar is a publicly traded, profitable company (NASDAQ: RSOL) with a very strong balance sheet. We have a long history of consulting and working with thousands of customers, governments, educational institutions and industry leaders such as NASA, the White House, Disney, Vatican City, Yale University, Aetna, Timex, CBS and many others. The advantages of solar power are almost as diverse as the 11,500+ systems Real Goods Solar has built to capture them. Whatever your primary interest in solar power might be – helping the environment, saving money, investing in your home’s equity, supporting the clean energy economy – we make the switch to clean, renewable solar power easy and affordable so you can use it at home.

In 1977, 29-year-old John Schaeffer lived on an off-grid community in Mendocino County, California, and commuted 35 miles (56 km) to work each day as a computer operator. As one of the few people with a vehicle and a job in town, he became the designated person to pick up supplies for the community. This led him to create his own general store that sold all the goods for off-grid living at fair prices, according to him. In 1978, Schaeffer took $3,000 in savings and a $5,000 loan from his father and purchased a 50% share of an alternative energy store Open Circle from Steve Troy in Willits, California.[citation needed] John Schaeffer and Steve Troy then changed the name of Open Circle to Real Goods Trading Company.