Occidental Power’s History
Occidental Power was established in 1989 by Founder and General Manager, Greg Kennedy, who brought his experience in the solar thermal and cogeneration fields and work with electrical contractors.
Greg worked for a solar thermal cooperative, the Solar Center, in the 1980s. This company performed groundbreaking work in solar energy in the San Francisco Bay Area. Several of the former members of the Solar Center continue to work with Occidental Power in various capacities. Occidental Power has continued to work on cutting-edge projects in renewable energy, along with the quality work we provide our customers on a daily basis.
From the archives
Greg Kennedy, founder of Occidental Power, is in the foreground, surrounded by members of the Solar Center. The solar thermal array was installed in 1982 at the University of San Francisco.
Our current solar shop, across the street from our San Francisco office, was the original Daly City Pump House, built circa 1916. It supplied all the water to Daly City until just after World War II. It was used for many years by Greg’s cousins’ electrical shop before it became a solar shop.
Our first office and shop was located just a few blocks from Ocean Beach, San Francisco, a place where pelicans fly overhead with their silhouettes cast by the sun. The company’s name, Occidental Power, hints at the Latin name for pelican (pelecanus occidentalis). It also references Greg’s alma mater, Occidental College.
