SunCommon

SunCommon started with a simple but powerful idea: renewable energy should be accessible to everyone, not just those who could afford a large upfront investment. The company traces its roots to 2010, when co-founders Duane Peterson and James Moore launched a pilot program through the Vermont Public Interest Research Group to help homeowners go solar. Within a year, they’d helped 300 Vermont families make the switch. The model worked—but it needed room to grow. In 2012, Peterson and Moore spun the initiative into its own entity, founding SunCommon as a Certified B Corporation in Waterbury, Vermont. Peterson brought experience from his years as Ben & Jerry’s ‘Chief of Stuff,’ where he learned how business could be a force for social change. Moore came from grassroots organizing and clean energy advocacy. Together, they built SunCommon on the belief that everyone deserves a healthy environment and that clean energy is where it starts. The company grew quickly, becoming Vermont’s largest residential solar installer by focusing on what mattered to homeowners: removing financial barriers, simplifying the process, and delivering quality installations. SunCommon expanded to serve New York’s Hudson Valley and Capital Region in 2018, and today the solar installer in Waterbury has helped more than 10,000 customers across both states transition to solar energy. The company operates from a net-positive headquarters building in Waterbury that produces more energy than it uses—a working example of the clean energy future they’re building. SunCommon offers comprehensive solar installation services for homes, farms, businesses, and municipalities, including rooftop and ground-mounted solar panels, innovative timber-framed solar canopies, battery storage systems, community solar arrays, and EV charging stations. Their team handles everything from site assessment and system design through permitting, installation, and ongoing support. As a Certified B Corporation since its founding, SunCommon legally commits to balancing people, planet, and profit—and they’ve been recognized six times as a Best for the World B Corp for environmental excellence. The company earned Vermont’s Best Places to Work designation multiple years running and received an EPA Environmental Merit Award in 2014. In New York, SunCommon achieved NYSERDA Platinum Quality Solar Installer status—one of only five companies statewide to earn this distinction after six consecutive years of top performance. For Vermont and New York homeowners considering solar installation, SunCommon brings more than a decade of experience installing solar panels and energy storage across diverse properties, from new construction to historic farmhouses. Their commitment to the communities they serve runs deep, with partnerships supporting local businesses, creating quality jobs, and advancing clean energy policy throughout the region.