After nearly two decades as a home-based business in Summerland, Swiss Solar Tech Ltd. is opening a storefront location in downtown Summerland.
The solar panel company started in 2001 and has been providing solar electric, water heating and pool heating for residential homes and commercial operations.
Roger Huber, CEO of Swiss Solar, has been working with solar panels for more than 30 years and says the panels available today are much more efficient and less expensive than they were in the past.
Panels from five years ago are 30 to 40 per cent less efficient than today’s solar panels, he said.
“The technology is moving ahead,” he said.
He added that solar energy is much more common now than in the past.
He said solar energy has zero emissions, operates silently and requires little maintenance.
The storefront, at the corner of Rosedale Avenue and Jubilee Road East, has a showroom where customers can see the panels and learn how they will be installed and how they will function on their own buildings.
Huber said using solar energy can result in a noticeable drop in energy consumption.
“It’s a huge step in the right direction to reduce energy consumption with the right investment,” he said.
Huber added that the solar energy today is becoming much more common than it was a few years ago.
Swiss Solar Tech Ltd. will hold an open house at its new location on Saturday, March 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.