What Solar Gaines does

Solar Gaines, LLC is a commercial solar construction company headquartered at 9 Schilling Rd, Ste 210, Hunt Valley, Maryland (Baltimore suburb), operating as a privately held subsidiary of Hencken & Gaines. Founded in the 1980s by Tom Gaines (construction background) and Hans Wittich (finance background), the company leverages the Gaines family's 100+ year infrastructure heritage and has delivered commercial solar installation services since 2009 across the mid-Atlantic region — Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and Delaware. It serves commercial property owners, community solar developers, educational institutions, government and municipal entities, and nonprofit organizations via direct enterprise sales.

The core offering is end-to-end self-performing solar EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) paired with integrated O&M (Operations and Maintenance). EPC scope covers structural and civil design, system procurement, land clearing, rack construction, module installation, electrical balance of system, and testing and commissioning, supported by capabilities for both fixed mount and tracking systems. O&M scope includes 24/7 rapid response, scheduled maintenance, thermal imaging performance analysis, string circuit performance reviews, storm damage repairs, medium voltage overhead and underground construction, and VLF/Tan Delta Testing. The company holds LEED AP and Certified Solar PV Installer credentials and operates with internally employed crews rather than outside subcontractors.

Revenue is project-based and one-time per solar construction contract, with quote-based pricing that varies by system size, complexity, and location. The firm employs 101–250 people, and its project portfolio spans community solar builds in the multi-MW range (e.g., ~11.8 MWdc Delaware portfolio, 7,797 kW Assateague project in Howard County, MD, 2,694 kW Sulphur Springs project in Baltimore County), commercial installations for real-estate, retail, and marina customers, smaller education and nonprofit builds in the 17–100 kW range, and government facilities such as the 1,156.2 kW 3400 Benning Road project. Indicative delivered outcomes from the Delaware portfolio include 18.2 million kWh of annual generation, ~1,661 homes powered, ~11,100 metric tons of CO2 avoided per year, and ~$9M in lifetime savings.

Name

Solar Gaines

Legal name

Solar Gaines, LLC

Website

https://solargaines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Solar Gaines is a self-performing commercial solar EPC and O&M contractor headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, building utility-scale, commercial, and community solar projects for enterprise, government, education, and nonprofit customers across the mid-Atlantic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Solar Construction Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Electrical Work (1731)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Solar Balance-of-Plant EPC (Piles/Foundations, Trenching, Combiner Networks) (EUAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial solar construction
• Solar EPC services
• Solar operations maintenance
• Community solar development
• Self-performing solar installer

Headquarters

HQ city

Hunt Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Solar Construction Services: Solar Gaines generates revenue through providing commercial solar construction services, including engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of solar installations for commercial, community, municipal, and educational customers. Revenue is project-based, derived from large-scale solar installation projects across the mid-Atlantic region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Solar Gaines is a self-performing commercial solar construction company that designs, engineers, procures, builds, commissions, and maintains commercial- and community-scale solar PV systems. It provides end-to-end EPC services (land clearing, rack construction, module installation, electrical balance of system, testing and commissioning) plus ongoing 24/7 O&M for clients across Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Its customer base spans commercial property owners, community solar developers, educational institutions, government/municipal entities, and nonprofit organizations.

Product overview

Solar Gaines is a commercial solar construction company offering a unified full-service platform combining EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) and O&M (Operations & Maintenance) services for commercial solar projects. The core offering centers on Solar Planning & Installation and Solar Operations & Maintenance as the primary service lines, supported by dedicated EPC Services (including engineering, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning) and O&M Services (including 24/7 rapid response, scheduled maintenance, performance optimization, and decommissioning). The company also specializes in Community Solar projects as a distinct service offering. Solar Gaines operates as a self-performing construction company serving the Mid-Atlantic region (Virginia, Maryland, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Delaware) and maintains a portfolio of completed projects spanning community solar, commercial, and education sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar Planning & Installation Full-service solar planning and installation from concept to implementation, covering design, procurement, and construction of solar systems that meet client needs. Offered to commercial, community, educational, government, and nonprofit clients in the mid-Atlantic.
• Solar Operations & Maintenance Comprehensive operations and maintenance services for renewable energy systems, ensuring vital functionality and protecting client investments throughout the system's lifetime. Includes 24/7 rapid response, scheduled maintenance, performance optimization, thermal imaging, string-circuit analysis, medium-voltage underground/overhead construction, VLF/Tan Delta testing, storm damage repairs, and PV system decommissioning.
• EPC Services (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) Full engineering, procurement, and construction services encompassing structural and civil design, system procurement, land clearing, rack construction, module installation, electrical balance of system, and testing and commissioning for fixed-mount and tracking solar systems.
• Community Solar Construction Construction services for community solar projects that maximize the benefits of shared solar, including project management, scheduling, material coordination, and large-scale ground-mount system installation for community solar developers serving residential and commercial subscribers.
• Commercial Solar Projects Large-scale commercial solar installation services for businesses, including rooftop and ground-mounted systems delivered across the mid-Atlantic region for retail, office, warehouse, marina, and other commercial property owners.
• Education Solar Projects Solar installation services for educational institutions, including K-12 schools and multi-family housing complexes across the mid-Atlantic region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18.2 million kWh electricity generated annually from recent Delaware projects
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ReWild RenewablescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026ReWild Renewables is the developer of the Delaware community solar projects (Rifle Range Solar in Bridgeville and Delaware Avenue Solar in Harrington). Solar Gaines serves as the construction partner building these projects, which total approximately 11.8 MWdc capacity.
• Hencken & Gaines (Parent Company)coreOthersSolar Gaines is a subsidiary of Hencken & Gaines. The Gaines name has been delivering infrastructure for over 100 years, providing the company with extensive construction expertise and financial stability.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pivot Energy: Pivot Energy is a national community solar developer and EPC operator with active Mid-Atlantic projects. Comparable to Solar Gaines on community solar delivery, developer partnerships, and small-to-mid scale utility solar construction.
• Standard Solar: Standard Solar is a mid-Atlantic-focused commercial and community solar EPC and O&M provider. It directly competes with Solar Gaines across the same customer segments, geographies (MD, VA, DC, PA, DE), and service lines (EPC + O&M).
• Borrego Solar Systems: Borrego Solar is a commercial and utility-scale solar EPC and O&M provider serving the U.S. East Coast. Overlaps with Solar Gaines on commercial rooftop, ground-mount, and community solar construction, with a similar self-perform construction model.
• Dynamic Energy Solutions: Dynamic Energy is a commercial and industrial solar EPC and O&M provider with strong Mid-Atlantic presence. Closely comparable to Solar Gaines in customer segments (commercial, government, education), project size, and self-perform delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Lightsource bp: Lightsource bp is a global utility-scale solar developer with active U.S. projects. Comparable as a competing developer/EPC for utility-scale community solar in the Mid-Atlantic and nationally.
• Origis Energy: Origis Energy is a mid-to-large scale solar developer and EPC provider with commercial, community, and utility-scale projects. Overlaps with Solar Gaines on community solar construction in select Mid-Atlantic-adjacent markets.
• EDF Renewables North America: EDF Renewables is a major utility-scale renewable energy developer and owner with U.S. solar projects. Competes with Solar Gaines as a developer and EPC counterparty for large community and utility solar opportunities, though at much larger scale.
• Cypress Creek Renewables: Cypress Creek is a U.S. solar developer and asset owner with significant community solar activity. Competes with Solar Gaines for community solar construction and developer partnerships.
• RWE Clean Energy: RWE Clean Energy (formerly Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses) operates utility-scale solar and community solar projects across the U.S. Comparable as a large incumbent developer that competes for the same community solar and C&I opportunities Solar Gaines targets.

Emerging players

• Catalyze: Catalyze develops and operates distributed energy and community solar assets across multiple U.S. states, including Mid-Atlantic projects. Comparable as a counterparty that procures EPC construction services similar to those Solar Gaines provides.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solargaines
• Facebookfacebook.com/solargainesllc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solar-gaines-llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Solar Gaines