Bill Driscoll, founder of Ocean Solar
Northfield, N.J. – After graduating from Harvard’s education program, Bill Driscoll studied comparative philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, planning to teach Buddhism as a college professor. But along the way Driscoll found another way he could make good money, ethically, and still benefit society: Renewables.
“I care about where we get our energy,” Driscoll says. “Picking up a weapon goes against my non-violent perspective, but I know I can serve our country by installing solar and creating our own energy here at home.”
After working two years installing for a solar roofing company, and then three years as VP of project development at another, Driscoll felt confident enough to go out on his own and founded Ocean Solar (No. 399 on Solar Power World’s Top 400 Contractors list) in 2011. His goal was to offer excellent customer service and a fair price while using American-made components.
“Using American-made products is important,” he says. “We want the money flowing back into the American economy.”
While Driscoll has someone helping out in the office, he’s pretty much a one-man-show. He focuses on development and material procurement, and contracts installers at a sister company for engineering and construction.
Driscoll says he strives to obtain 20% ROI for his customers because without the economics they’re not going to pull the trigger. He’s able to achieve this with a federal tax credit and state renewable energy credits (currently $177 in New Jersey). But he says that in his state’s market it’s still possible to get customers 10% ROI a year or greater without the incentives.
“I find that many companies aren’t adequately educating their customers on solar returns, when the returns should be a completely open book,” Driscoll says. “I think education is the main hindrance to solar catching like wildfire now. Coming from an education background, I know how important it is to the development of anything.”
With seven years of solar experience and his knowledge of larger projects, Driscoll expects his consulting service to grow nationally, while continuing to carve out a niche developing projects within the Tri-State area.
“People see solar as a global industry, but when it comes to any kind of home improvement or construction people look local,” Driscoll says. “They want someone who is going to come out and talk to them.”
Driscoll finds inspiration in a 1931 quote from fellow New Jersey native Thomas Edison. He includes it at the bottom of his emails.
“This technology has been around for a long time,” Driscoll says. “I think it’s important to give a nod to oil and gas companies who have taken our country to where it is in the last century, but now we’re smart enough and we know better. And instead of throwing their money into putting a negative spin on solar, why don’t they get behind it and learn how to make money from it?” SPW