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Midland Solar Applications is located in Midland, MI. Our expertise is focused on the Midwest and heartland of the United States, but we also have the capabilities and resources to service almost any location in the continental United States.

EXAMPLES OF RECENT PROJECTS

Residential installations:

 

Commercial and Utility installations:

   


Live output feed from our array in Homer twp, MI:

Midland Solar Applications LLC has NABCEP certified energy professionals on staff. NABCEP certification, issued by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, is the gold standard for solar PV, wind, and solar hot water energy systems. Many states that have renewable energy initiatives have found out the hard way that the only guarantee of success is to demand high standards of knowledge and professionalism from the practitioners in the industry.

Safety. When anyone goes up onto a roof for any reason at all, they must be aware of the hazards and dangers present. When someone goes up onto a roof to work, they must be very familiar with the challenges (and dangers) of working on a roof. Besides falling off, it’s possible to drop something and have it go over the side. The less often that happens, the less likely someone on the ground will be injured.

At Midland Solar Applications, we run a safety checklist on every job and our installers and supervisors receive OSHA 10-hour training every year.

Safe workers feel more comfortable and are more productive. A single accident can ruin a company. If you see a contractor cutting corners on safety, know that they aren’t in business for the long haul. Safety harnesses and ropes, work platforms, and barricades should be in full use at all times.

Performance. When you buy a solar electric (photovoltaic) system or a solar hot water system, you’re counting on it to do its job for many years, and do it well. A well-designed system will be an asset that any homeowner would be proud to have and any certified professional would be proud to sign off on. Unfortunately, a poorly designed or poorly installed system is guaranteed to be a poor performer–and worse, will take much longer to pay for itself than it should. Perhaps never making it past the make-break point at all.

A NABCEP certified renewable energy professional has demonstrated knowledge and experience that allows them to predict pitfalls and produce successful outcomes. They can maximize the output of a solar collector and save you a lot of money in utility bills.

Your best guarantee of a successful project is a certified professional installer and professional designer.

At Midland Solar Applications, we employ degreed engineers and trained technicians and installers to make sure that quality and performance are at their peak. After a staff engineer reviews a design or project plan, our Professional Engineer goes through it thoroughly to ensure that nothing has been missed. We can even stamp your plans with a Professional Engineer’s seal, the highest mark of design quality there is.

Roof. Water is a number one threat to your home. Once water comes in, mold, insects, and other undesirables soon follow. Therefore, choose a certified professional to perform the necessary modifications on your roof. We inspect our customers’ roofs before the job, throughout the job, and at the end of the job. If we see a problem with a roof before installation, we will work with the owner to fix the problem before we initiate our work–often at no charge to our customer. Your roof is your insurance policy against water damage and major headaches down the road, and we take that very seriously.

OUR TEAM

Steve Ellebracht, President, completed a 34 year career with the Dow Chemical Company starting as a Research Chemist and progressing to Global R&D director. He has national and international experience having worked and lived in Texas, Singapore, New Jersey and Michigan.  He has extensive global experience in developing and commercializing new technologies and is a recognized global leader in a number of scientific areas including Atomic Spectroscopy, Fiber Optics, Plastics, Telecommunications, Photovoltaics and Building Science. 
Currently, Steve is a President and part owner of Brazosport Plastics, Vice President and part owner of IsoTherapeutics Group, President and part owner of Missouri Solar Applications LLC, and president and part owner of Midland Solar Applications, LLC headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Steve has been directly involved in designing and installing photovoltaic arrays ranging in size from 1KW to 150KW for residential homes, businesses and utilities. These include fixed arrays as well as tracking arrays utilizing various Photovoltaic materials. He has extensive knowledge and experience working with small and large companies and with government agencies such as The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He is a member to the Blue Water Angel Investors championing startup businesses.

John Bartos, Vice President, has under his belt thirty two years of starting, building and managing small companies, and experience in business management consulting, architectural building design, forensic engineering, and project development. An example is Three Rivers Corporation which grew from one to 420 employees in the early 1980’s. Companies were started in Michigan, Texas, and Florida. He spent three years at the Dow chemical Company in building products research and development, ten years of helping with economic development in the Great Lakes Bay region through workforce development, assisting small companies, Mid Michigan Innovation Center, Angel Funding, and regional economic development groups.  Over the past four decades have volunteered on over 26 state and local organizations, boards, and task forces.  This combination of business expertise and civic support was recognized in 2003 when inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame along with Ted Doan and Richard Hazelton. Currently John is President, CEO and founder of JS&B Associates, LLC, and Vice President of Midland Solar Applications. He actively helps area businesses, one-on-one and through organizations such as Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (Board Member), MiTech + (Board Member and Vice Chair), Mid Michigan Innovation Center (Board Member and Vice Chair), Strosacker Foundation (Trustee), Midland Tomorrow (Member and Ambassador), and Blue Water Angels (Board Member)

Ted Skinner, Treasurer, retired Dow Corning leader, BlueWater Angels Screening Committee Chair and Advanced Battery Concepts Business Development Director, has been contributing to the community and to entrepreneurial success for many years. He has thirty three years of technology and marketing management and leadership experience from Dow Corning Corporation, four years leading the establishment and management of Personal Assistance Options, a stand-alone, non-profit agency supporting the independence of people with disabilities, two years community relations and liaison support for LS Power, a major power plant development project.  Most recent three years he devoted to support, consulting and funding of startup businesses mainly in the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan through Mid-Michigan Innovation Center, Midland Tomorrow and BlueWater Angel Investors.

Vaughn Prost, Chief Design Engineer, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering from the University of Missouri and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering and Construction Management from Stanford University. He has extensive International Engineering and construction experience, 9 years for Parsons Corporation in Saudi Arabia managing the design and construction of a new industrial city and sea port along the Red Sea coast. Vaughn is a Professional Engineer (State of Missouri and California), and a NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer. Also, Vaughn has been the owner and CEO of Prost Builders Inc. for 20 years.

Joseph Rybak, Chief Electrical Engineer, holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri. Joseph has extensive experience in entrepreneurial start-up companies. He is recognized in North America as a leader in motion-controlled waterjet cutting industry. He has developed unique Cad/Cam and other computerized programs to optimize cost and performance of waterjet operations. He has designed the electrical systems for solar arrays in Michigan, Missouri, and Texas.