The Beginning of Solas Energy: How a Name Inspired a Company

By Paula McGarrigle, President & CEO, Solas Energy

I decided to leave Shell Canada in December 2008. At the time, I was Manager of Wind Power, working on projects across the country, and had just closed the White Deer Wind Farm transaction in Texas. During my near-decade with Shell, the company’s stance on renewable energy shifted more than once. By then, I already had close to ten years of experience in the wind industry. If Shell Canada was stepping away from it, I knew I wasn’t.

I gave two months’ notice and started thinking about what to call my new company, and what exactly I would be doing. My goal was simple: to be able to hand out business cards at my farewell party in February 2009 and say, with confidence, that I was charting my own course. So I sat down and designed a logo and card myself.

My sister Corinna, a professional graphic designer, would have been proud of the effort. To be sure, I sent it to her on February 11, 2009, and she gave it a few nips and tucks that made all the difference. Between the two of us, we shaped the name, logo, and brand. Her husband Barry, an IT professional, helped me register the domain name in early February. I didn’t even know what a domain name was at the time.

The name Solas has always meant a great deal to me. Growing up in Ireland, I took compulsory Irish classes — not English with an Irish accent, but the Irish language itself, one of the oldest languages in the world. My mother went to school where every subject was taught in Irish. Her mother spoke a blend of Irish and English on the farm, and her grandmother spoke Irish almost all the time. Though under pressure for centuries, the language still endures, with only about 5% of the population speaking it daily, and a few areas where it remains the first and only tongue.

One of the books I remember from childhood was Peig. One of its chapter titles was Sólás agus Dólás, and I fell in love with the word Solas. It means light, brightness, consolation, and comfort — carrying with it a sense of calmness and confidence. I was mesmerized by it. I loved it so much that years earlier I had named my side pursuits in music and photography Solas Arts. So when it came time, Solas Energy felt like a natural extension.

By the end of February 2009, at my farewell party, I had business cards in hand, along with a website, a domain name, and a logo — all ready to step into a new world, even as it was still reeling from a global financial collapse.

Looking back now, it’s incredible to see how far Solas Energy has come. What began as a leap of faith with a name, a logo, and a set of business cards has grown into a journey far richer than I ever imagined.