Celebrating Top Solar Companies: Sunpath Solar

Georgia ranks seventh in the country for total solar installed capacity, yet it consistently lands near the bottom for behind-the-meter solar, with most of those installations concentrated in wealthier communities. That gap is exactly what Sunpath Solar was built to close.

We sat down with Seth Gunning, founder of Sunpath Solar, to learn about how this Atlanta-based company is working to expand solar access across Georgia, and what it looks like to run a solar company with equity at the center of every decision.

Building a Company Around a Mission

Seth came to solar from a background in social and environmental justice. After nearly a decade working in the Southeast’s clean energy industry – including serving as Chairman of the Georgia Solar Energy Association and helping develop over 20 MW of installed capacity across the region – he launched Sunpath Solar in 2023.

The company started as a consultancy, but when Seth learned about a public-private partnership forming to increase solar access in low-to-moderate income communities, he moved fast. Within two weeks of hearing about the opportunity, he had formed a company, pulled together a core team, and started building toward becoming a full-service EPC. “If I’d had more than two weeks to think about it, I probably wouldn’t have done it,” Seth admits. A close industry friend summed it up well: he would have overthought it.

That willingness to act quickly and decisively has served Sunpath well. The company has grown from four full-time employees at the start of 2025 to 16 full-time staff plus six fractional team members.

Solar Access as a Core Business Model

Sunpath’s approach to the market looks different from most residential installers. Rather than focusing on cash sales or traditional financing, the company has centered its work on programs designed to reach homeowners who face the greatest energy burdens and those who have historically been locked out of solar by credit requirements, debt-to-income ratios, and high upfront costs.

The company is a key implementation partner for the Georgia Bright program, a public-private initiative run by Capital Good Fund – a community development financial institution – in partnership with the cities of Atlanta, Savannah, Athens-Clarke County, and Decatur. The program provides power purchase agreements and leases with no upfront costs and monthly payments well below market rates, specifically for households earning under $100,000 annually. The pilot program ran through 2023 and into 2024, proving the model worked.

Sunpath also does significant work with faith-based organizations and nonprofits, installing solar on dozens of churches and community institutions through power purchase agreements structured to make the economics work for mission-driven groups with limited capital. That work has a ripple effect that goes well beyond the buildings themselves. 

A Berkeley Lab study found that non-residential solar installations – including on houses of worship and schools – increase residential solar adoption by roughly 1 to 4 homes per quarter in surrounding neighborhoods, with an influence comparable in magnitude to seeing a neighbor’s rooftop system. Sunpath leans into this finding deliberately. Because solar panels on commercial rooftops are rarely visible from the street, the organizations that make these commitments often can’t access one of the biggest side benefits of going solar: the community visibility and credibility that come with it. To help each organization tell its own story about why they went solar and what it means for their mission, Sunpath produces short videos as a part of their installation process. 

That community engagement compounds. Seth has seen workshops at one church lead to workshops with the surrounding city, and congregations inspiring neighboring households to explore solar on their own. “We’d much rather spend our marketing dollars on good work that’s happening in the community than paying Facebook for ad space,” he says.

Looking ahead, Seth sees Sunpath’s role as deepening its work in the Southeast, as opposed to expanding nationally. That means exploring pathways for renters and others who don’t own their roofs. It means advocating for community solar policy changes that could one day make community solar viable in Georgia. It also means continuing to build partnerships wherever they can create new avenues for underserved households to access the real economic benefits of solar.

Georgia’s First B Corp Certified Solar Installer

In November of last year, Sunpath became Georgia’s first B Corp certified solar installer. The process helped codify the company’s values into the way they actually operate, from how they set KPIs to what gets discussed in performance reviews. The questions within the B Corp certification process go well beyond financial performance. They’re about who you’re doing business with, how you’re engaging communities, and whether your company’s actions match its stated mission.

That commitment shows up even in where Sunpath chose to put down roots. Their office is in Oakland City, a southwest Atlanta neighborhood, in a building that for decades was home to P&E Glass – a family-owned business so embedded in the neighborhood that people still stop by looking to get a window pane or windshield replaced. Seth finds that legacy meaningful. P&E used glass to help neighbors bring light into their homes and businesses. Sunpath wants to use that same light – captured through solar panels – to help neighbors take control of their utility costs. “We’re new here,” Seth says, “but we think a lot about what it means to be a good neighbor.”

Investing in the Team

Sunpath’s philosophy on workforce development mirrors its mission: build from within, invest in people, and make sure everyone has a path forward.

Professional development is baked into the performance review process, not as an afterthought, but as a genuine conversation about where each person wants their career to go and how the company can help get them there. That support covers NABCEP certifications, degree programs, conference attendance, and job-specific credentials like electrical licenses and CPA study. Sunpath currently has two NABCEP-certified staff members, with two more preparing to sit for their associate exams. 

“We want to be able to promote from within and advance technical leadership from within,” Seth explains. The goal is building a team that’s genuinely growing alongside the company.

Doing Right by Customers

When asked for advice for others thinking about starting a solar company, Seth had two things to say. First: open your mail – quickly, because the administrative details of running a business will catch you off guard if you let them pile up. 

Second: treat your customers right and treat your people right.

“There’s a thing in solar about leaving your signature on the roof,” Seth said. “That goes for everybody in the operation – every interaction we have with a customer.” For Sunpath, that means making sure people feel informed, comfortable, and confident that the company has their best interests in mind. Seth believes a focus on quality relationships and quality work will take care of the financial outcomes on the back end.

For a company that got its start in two weeks and has grown to 20 full-time equivalents in three years, it’s a philosophy that seems to be working.