Asheville – Doug Ager founded Sugar Hollow Solar with his cousin, Phelps Clarke, in 2010. They grew up working on Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview and spent a lot of time playing in the woods, “and learned to really love the land and wanted to do right by the planet.” Ager explained, “I see myself as a builder, and I want to build something that has a meaningful impact.”
The business started as a vertically integrated, one-stop solar shop. The cousins handled the sales, design, and installation of the solar panels. Ager mentioned that they used to take on smaller projects, including off-grid solar, but now they focus solely on integrating solar and batteries into entire buildings. While a large part of the solar industry is engaged in building utility-scale solar projects, Ager stated that Sugar Hollow is “focused on distributed energy, or helping individuals or commercial property owners ‘go solar.’”
Sugar Hollow employs 65 people and services Western North Carolina as well as Upstate South Carolina. Although the majority of their projects have been on single-family homes, an increasing portion of their work is in the commercial sector with businesses, developers, and community leaders. Some of their recent projects include Brevard Music School, Hunter Subaru, the Asheville Jewish Community Center, St. James Episcopal Church, and Evergreen Charter School…