Florida has long been synonymous with sunshine, from beach scenes to breakfast juice. But Edwin Perkins, President of Moss Solar, is well on his way to giving new meaning to Florida’s sunny reputation. Chief among these is solar energy, which diversifies our energy resources, can lower costs over time, and reduces carbon pollution—creating a better future for ecosystems, wildlife, and people. In his role with Ft. Lauderdale-based Moss, Perkins is building the infrastructure, workforce and opportunities to drive solar expansion throughout North America and the Caribbean.

From his vantage point, Florida has immense advantages in solar energy: “We are the Sunshine State, and we have the most amazing natural resources here. Not every state has the source of the sun year-round. Our land is also a great resource, and it’s optimal—we don’t have to do a lot of grading and changing the terrain. We don’t have to cause environmental impacts to get solar built—we are light on the land.”

Moss is a national construction and engineering leader based in Ft. Lauderdale that expanded into solar in 2012, recognizing the business opportunity it presents. In 2012, when solar was in its infancy, Perkins jumped at the opportunity to enter the solar market and build Moss’ solar division. Now, demand is booming, and the company is growing in response. In the last two years, Moss Solar has expanded from thirty-five salary employees in 2018 to over three hundred and fifty today. A native Floridian, he is enthusiastic about the increase in solar projects not only across the hemisphere but also within the state. “I was born and raised in Florida. When I first got into solar, it was disappointing that all of the projects were outside of the state, and it wasn’t until about three years ago that we started building solar in our backyard,” says Perkins. “Florida is my backyard, and I am proud to have the opportunity to build renewable energy here.”

Perkins is also proud of Moss’ employees, and the company’s entrepreneurial culture. “When people join Moss, they never want to leave.” Although this past year has been difficult for many industries, solar shows no signs of a long-term slow-down. “The demand for solar is phenomenal,” Perkins explains. “No other construction industry has the ten-year outlook as we see with solar. It’s doubling every year through 2030.”

“We must find a way to support demand,” Perkins adds. Moss Solar is committed to doing exactly that: “Four years ago, no one wanted to build solar, but now when we recruit, everyone wants to work for renewable energy. We are moving forward in the right direction.”

Downloadable Resources

business-profiles-perkins.pdf