Williston, Vt.
Website
Founded: 2005
Employees: 26
Revenue 2010: $10 million
Revenue 2011 (projected): $22 million to $25 million

After several years selling small-scale wind turbines without making a profit, founder David Blittersdorf, 54, realized that current policies and government incentives make solar a more viable business, especially as more businesses, government entities, and residential communities invest in the sector. The company manufactures and installs solar panels that move with the sun using GPS to maximize the amount of the sun's energy reaching the panels. A home system costs about $33,000 up front or can be leased with the choice of buying the system after five years for about $10,000. Blittersdorf—who in 1982 founded NRG Systems to make tools to measure wind for the wind energy industry—says AllEarth Renewables has been profitable since 2010, when sales reached more than $10 million. Blittersdorf has focused on the Vermont market but plans to expand throughout the Northeast this year. "I believe we can create an energy future that does not rely on fossil fuels or dangerous nuclear power," he says. —VW