Proven expertise grabs mtvSolar rank on U.S. solar contractor list

mtvSolar is named a 2025 Top Solar Contractor 

July 23, 2025, Berkeley Springs, WV — The renewable energy industry is entering a tumultuous time, with deep federal cuts to programs that stoked astronomical growth over the past four years. Still, the solar industry broke record after record in 2024, the largest single year of new capacity added to the grid by any energy technology in over two decades mtvSolar (Mountain View Solar) is one of the companies that contributed to the milestone installation year and is recognized as a 2025 Top Solar Contractor by Solar Power World.

The Top Solar Contractors List is the most recognized annual listing of solar contractors in the United States. It is compiled annually by industry magazine Solar Power World to recognize the work of solar installers to decarbonize the grid and support home-grown, local energy. Companies on the Top Solar Contractors List are grouped and listed by specific service (developer, electrical subcontractor, EPC, installation subcontractor, installer, sales partner), market (commercial, community solar, residential, utility) and state by 2024 installed capacity (in kWDC). mtvSolar is ranked at No. 221 in the nation.

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“At a time when the federal government is doing everything it can to cut solar power down, the gigawatts put up by our 2025 Top Solar Contractors emphasize just how crucial it is to our nation’s energy mix,” said Kelsey Misbrener, managing editor of Solar Power World. “From the smallest residential projects to the largest utility-scale solar farms, these installations are keeping the lights on and keeping power affordable. We’re thrilled to recognize another outstanding class of Top Solar Contractors, and look forward to persevering through legislative hurdles to celebrate our 15-year edition next year.”

The country installed nearly 50 GW of new solar capacity in 2024, with solar and storage accounting for 84% of all new electric generating capacity added to the grid. Companies on the Top Solar Contractors List are undoubtedly preparing for a tough hill on the solarcoaster, but the need for quick buildout of new energy resources is only going to grow. mtvSolar has already implemented new growth strategies to ensure their stability as the tax credit structure changes.

mtvSolar employs 45 workers who installed 4641 kW of solar power in 2024. Since its founding in 2009, the company has installed 37,656 kW of solar, guided customers through the installation of emerging energy storage systems and serviced solar energy systems installed by numerous companies.  For over 16 years, mtvSolar’s in-house team of experts has installed high-quality residential, commercial, municipal, agricultural, and utility systems across West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. 

Mike McKechnie

“We pride ourselves on our unparalleled quality, ensuring every installation is meticulously handled by our seasoned electricians, project managers, and service technicians. Committed to the communities where we live and work, we actively foster economic growth and a sustainable future through initiatives like our Community Giveback Program and a dedicated day of service on Cesar Chavez Day. We empower customers with reliable, affordable, and clean energy solutions,” said Founder and Visionary Mike McKechnie.

About Solar Power World 

Solar Power World is the leading online and print resource for news and information regarding solar installation, development and technology.

Homegrown energy — solar farms in the spotlight

Utility-sized solar projects – from solar farms to community solar – are gaining traction in the Mid-Atlantic region. For some communities, there is still some wrangling at the local level about how to fit projects into their unique settings. Solar farms in Virginia have some counties concerned about their traditional farm legacies alongside larger-scale solar energy technology. Concerns have sometimes been fueled by misinformation about the impacts of ground-mount solar arrays on farms, crops, the power grid and even the weather itself.

Renewable energy advocates know that large fields of solar panels can be jarring for people who are used to seeing open fields, cows graze there or hay growing. But there is plenty of proof that agriculture and solar generation can work well together – boosting local energy production, lowering fossil fuel dependency and even raising farmers’ bottom line with lease revenue.

In counties that prize their farm heritage and the traditional look of their countryside dotted with barns and grain silos, some proposals for solar farms have met with opposition and even with changes in their zoning. Their argument — that solar panels will replace farm fields meant for crops and animals — doesn’t have to be the case and misses some of the big benefits of solar farms and agrivoltaics (solar and farming together on the same land).

Many projects in the Mid-Atlantic region are small solar farms to be a good fit for farmland. With careful planning to construct the ground-mount arrays responsibly, a farmer can harness the value of their land to create renewable energy and boost their farm revenue for decades, depending on their lease agreements.

One of the growing opportunities for placing solar farms is in areas that simply aren’t suitable for crop farming because of soil characteristics. Old strip mines, industrial lots, brownfields and degraded land can be ideal places for large arrays of solar panels, putting abandoned or problematic property to practical use.  

“Several independent estimates suggest the country could power itself with roughly the acreage currently dedicated to land most everyone would agree is already degraded. And up to 39 percent could be met by putting panels on roofs. ‘We have tremendous opportunity on rooftops, on parking lots, on other areas like that,’ says Garrett Nilsen, the deputy director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office,” the NYTimes reported in a September 2022 article about the siting of solar farms.

All of these options will be needed to meet targets for shifting America’s energy policy toward renewables. As power demands continue to rise and the electric grid is stretched to meet that demand, solar farms will fill an important role — putting open land to use to generate electricity without polluting that land.

The U.S. Department of Energy is investing in studies to develop the best ways for solar farms and agriculture to work together, seeing the synergy between the two as a promising path for meeting America’s clean energy goals while supporting farms and farming communities.