Did you know that Carolina Solar Services works across the country? We are particularly proud to host an office in Bend, Oregon, along with 3 other depots in the area, and play a large part in solar operations in the state. But does work out West differ from that in the Southeast? Let’s take a look.
When a long-time client requested that we bid on a large portfolio they were building in Oregon, CSS was excited to tackle a new challenge. Upon winning the bid in 2017, we planted our flag and got started! Oregon’s work is quite different from projects in our home base. The state is large and encompasses a wide assortment of biomes, so there is a lot of travel involved in the work. Our employees may begin their morning in the high desert, travel through a sub-alpine region in the afternoon, and then cross to the rainforest or the coast in the evening. Work can look very different day-to-day.
Engaging on such a variety of project sites means that our Oregon technicians must serve a more hybrid purpose than some of our techs in the Southeast. While all solar technicians must be flexible, creative, and good at troubleshooting, Oregon’s vast expanses and more remote nature up the ante. Our Oregon techs are nimble and may deal in anything from electrical work to corrective maintenance and vegetative management, rather than focusing on just one. They also must be able to coordinate and sync meetings and support with the main office three hours ahead. CSS works hard to ensure that we accommodate all of our workers and integrate operations smoothly.
Oregon additionally deals with larger assets than those that are typical in North Carolina; whereas many of our client sites in North Carolina are in the 2-5 megawatt (MW) range, Oregon has many 10 MW and larger projects. We have also broken into higher-level utility-scale management and manage some substations on the West Coast.
We have seen drastic growth during our time in Oregon. Upon arrival, we were starting pretty much from scratch; now, solar assets under management are close to, if not equivalent to the scale of solar in the Carolinas. CSS is rapidly hiring, growing our team and client base to ensure continued success out West.