Ed Witkin has been designing and installing solar electric systems since 1987. He and his family lived in an off-grid solar powered house in Connecticut that he built in 1991. In 2003 Ed moved to North Carolina and started Carrboro Solar Works, LLC. In 2008 he joined with Solar Tech South (now Strata Solar) of Chapel Hill, which at that time was a start-up company in need of someone with a background in solar energy. In 2011, Ed took a position as the Sustainability Coordinator at Durham Technical Community College. During that time, he and one of his students, Steven Thomsen, collaborated with Alex Wilhelm to design and build a solar electric generator for a remote school in Nicaragua. This project was one of the catalysts that led to the creation of United Solar Initiative. Ed feels lucky to call Chapel Hill home along with his wife, children and grandchildren.
