Horizon Energy System Sales Staff

Please contact any of the following trained sales representatives regarding your solar interests.

This Page Index

•Bill Bright, PV, Pool & Hot Water

•Ryan Lema, Alameda County

•Kurt Newick, Santa Clara County

•Rick Niemi, Santa Clara County

•Craig Rush, South & East Bay

PV Sales, Pool & Hot Water Systems Installation Manager - Bill Bright

408-568-1522
Bill@gosolarnow.com

Bill obtained his contractors license in 1982 in San Jose, California. His license holds the classifications C46 solar, B1 General and C36 plumbing. For 25 years Bill’s company designed and installed thousands of quality solar pool, domestic hot water and electric systems for the residential and commercial sector. We fully appreciate the years of experience that he has gained in running his own solar installation company. It was the quality and professionalism of Horizon Energy Systems that Bill observed over the years that persuaded Bill to combine his company Bright Solar with Bruce Gordon’s Horizon Energy Systems. Bill’s experienced knowledge in design and implementation of solar PV, pool and hot water systems is truly an asset for Horizon Energy Systems. Bill practices what he preaches as his home is equipped with a solar PV system, a solar swimming pool system and a solar hot water system

Alameda County - Ryan Lema, Solar Sales

510-421-0144
Ryan@gosolarnow.com

Santa Clara County - Kurt Newick, Solar Sales

408-761-2029
Kurt@gosolarnow.com

Kurt enjoys outdoor activities (running, bicycling, organic gardening and hiking) and is a lifelong environmental activist and volunteer. Over a 3 year period between 1987 and 1990, as an activist with the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth, Kurt conducted a campaign to phase out stratospheric ozone destroying compounds, partnering with industrial CFC users to transition to ozone safe alternatives. Kurt was instrumental in getting laws passed at the local, state and to a lesser extent, the national level in the United States of America (e.g., Clean Air Act of 1990) to phase out CFCs, promote renewable energy and curb global warming.

During the 1990's, Kurt remodeled his home to reflect his environmental values, installing solar electric, solar hot water and solar radiant heat systems. As his passion for solar energy grew, he became active in the local solar community. Kurt has volunteered with Silicon Valley SolarTech and NorCal Solar organizations.

In 1999 Kurt founded and currently chairs the Global Warming and Energy Committee at the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club in California. He coordinated a residential PV permit survey for all permitting jurisdictions in the San Francisco Bay Area between 2005 - 2008. Since then he has co-authored over a dozen residential and commercial PV permit fee studies, based on surveys conducted for dozens of California counties (including a 2009 report covering all 250 jurisdictions in southern California). He currently leads a Sierra Club campaign to reduce solar permit fees throughout California. This is resulting in significant reductions in solar permit fees, such as in the San Francisco Bay area over 77 municipalities have significantly lowered their permit fees for solar power. Here is a Sierra Club fact sheet documenting PV permit fee reductions in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Here is a link to the California Sierra Club PV Permit Fee Campaign web site. The Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club awarded Kurt Newick and Carl Mills Special Achievement awards for this campaign. Kurt received a Volunteer Appreciation Award in 2005 from Northern California Solar Energy Association for his outstanding accomplishments in this area.

As a Tree Amigo with Our City Forest, he has planted hundreds of trees in Silicon Valley. In 2007 Kurt did a pro bono shading analysis, as expert testimony for a court case, that resulted in the first successful litigation of the California Solar Shade Control Act (a 1979 state law that prohibited shading of solar collectors during mid day). This law has since been revised to allow for tree growth of trees planted prior to a solar energy system installation.

Kurt presents seminars on solar electricity throughout Silicon Valley. Contact Kurt to schedule a presentation. View a Google Tech Talk that Kurt participated in on solar electricity.

Kurt has a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Chico State University and is a lifelong Santa Clara County resident.

South Santa Clara & Santa Cruz Counties - Rick Niemi, SolarSales

408-858-3583
Rick@gosolarnow.com

The last 24 years Rick has been living off the grid with solar electric and solar thermal energy. He has a passion for alternative and renewable energy solutions, environmental green products and sustainable building techniques. He has experience with solar water pumping, solar powered refrigeration, solar charging systems for radios and GPS, remote solar powered telephones systems (pre cellular technology), solar hot water systems, solar cooking, solar powered pond and pool pumps, filtration and heating systems, bio-gas, fuel cells, rain collections systems, composting toilets, electric vehicles, SIP construction (Structural Insulated Panels), Straw bale construction and more.

Peninsula, Santa Clara, Alameda & Contra Costa Counties - Craig Rush, Solar Sales

650-245-0892
Craig@gosolarnow.com

Craig has been certified by Acterra's Green@Home program to perform household energy audits. Having a free household energy audit performed by a trained volunteer can quickly and effectively identify the "low-hanging fruit" of energy savings and help homeowners start saving money right away. The program is currently conducting audits in Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Menlo Park and Redwood City. Acterra hopes to expand this program to other Bay Area communities in the near future. More info at www.Acterra.org

Craig holds solar workshops periodically throughout the area. Contact Craig if you would like to organize a workshop for your group.

Craig volunteers his time with Grid Alternatives, a non-profit organization which advises homeowners on energy conservation and installs photovoltaic systems on residential homes in low-income neighborhoods. Craig served on the Foster City Sustainability Task Force for two years. The Task Force facilitate implementing the sustainability plan for Foster City as approved by the Foster City Council.

Craig is also a certified Master Composter and volunteer in San Mateo County’s Master Composter Program. Since 2002 he has given his time leading composting workshops throughout San Mateo County and is a member in good standing of the prestigious Red Wriggler Club.

Craig has 10+ years experience in product marketing with several Silicon Valley companies and earned a B.S .Degree in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh. He lives in a sun-filled Eichler home in Foster City with his wife and two young sons. In 2009 a 1.6kW AC solar array was installed of course, by Horizon Energy Systems eliminating 90% of the electric bill.

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