About Ottawa Solar Power
Designing & Installing Solar Power System for Almost 30 Years
Nearly three decades ago, Michael McGahern saw a gap in Eastern Ontario’s energy landscape. As a battery specialist at Interstate Batteries, he noticed that homeowners, farmers, and businesses were actively searching for solar power solutions, but no one was there to provide them.
"Consumers were coming into our battery location to ask if we could help them find equipment for their small solar power systems. Farmers wanted to know how they could pump water on remote areas of their farms, or run electric fencing systems to keep the cattle in"
With a vision to bring clean, renewable energy to remote locations, Michael founded Ottawa Solar Power (OSP). The company’s earliest projects focused on practical, real-world applications.
One of the very first projects we worked on was helping farmers in the Ottawa Valley harness solar energy to power their electric fences and pump water from ponds and rivers. With no access to traditional grid electricity in remote areas, solar provided a reliable and sustainable solution, allowing farmers to efficiently manage their land and livestock. This early project set the foundation for Ottawa Solar Power’s commitment to designing practical, off-grid energy solutions and solving real-world challenges.
This was just the beginning. As word spread, OSP quickly became the go-to provider for remote and custom solar applications. Here is a photo installing a solar-powered warning systems for Hydro One’s hydroelectric dams.
"Cottagers with no electricy, that always wanted electric lights, or a microwave at their cottage, came to use for help. Delvelopers like Minto and Urbandale Construction had us install solar electric systems in residential develpments, long before any government incentives"
Minto Developers Model House by Ottawa Solar Power
"We installed the solar system on Ottawa's City Hall, and worked with Hydro Ottawa on many systems through the city. 13 schools with the Ottawa Carleton Board have Ottawa Solar Power systems"
In 2009 the Ontario Govenment announced the Gren Energy Act, and Micro Fit Program allowing home and business owners to install solar and sell the power back to their utility. Ottawa Solar Power was ready, and started installing hundreds of systems a year during the programs 8 year run.
Fast forward 29 years later, OSP has designed and installed close to 1000 solar systems on residential homes, cottages, off grid residences, and commercial buildings through Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
