CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Pink Energy is expanding its company footprint to the capital of West Virginia by opening a new sales office just outside of Charleston.

The company, which offers solar to residential and commercial customers in the Mountain State and 15 others, will be hiring sales representatives and administrative staff for the office at 1 Dunbar Plaza, Suite 202 in nearby Dunbar, W. Va. The addition is due in part to the increasing demand seen by residential customers for solar energy. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, residential solar had its largest quarter in history in the first quarter of 2022 with 1.2 gigawatts of solar installed, a 30% increase over Q1 2021 and a 5% increase over Q4 2021.

"We've been encouraged by the appetite West Virginians have shown for solar since we started selling in the state last year," Pink Energy CEO Jayson Waller said. "Adding this office further showcases our commitment to the Mountain State and doing good things for people and the planet."

According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, West Virginia residents are paying nearly 7% more for electricity than they did a year ago. That makes solar a potentially attractive supplement to grid energy, where customers use the energy produced by their solar panels first before utilizing the grid for additional power.

Solar panels can be financed (in some cases, for roughly the same cost as your electric bill), and once the financing ends, so does your payment for solar, allowing customers to be more in control of their energy consumption and "own their power." Pink Energy also offers battery storage to customers seeking to have backup power in case of an outage.

Those seeking a position in this exciting industry can go online to Pink Energy's website at gopink.com/about/careers, or email careers@gopink.com.