We are nothing without our people. Meet the people who make Lighthouse a reality.
Watching the current flow through Andy is as real as the changes in technology and history that have impacted his family’s culture, his power, and Lighthouse Solar.
Andy’s title is Design Estimator. During his time with Lighthouse Solar, he has always had a bright vision for the future of energy. He knew from early on that solar and smart grids were the future, and he’s used these forward-focused ideals to position Lighthouse at the forefront of the solar industry. Andy describes his passion for the company in the fact that “we are always willing to test our solutions taking on projects with inherent challenges.” This culture of attacking various challenges with inventive flexibility is what gets Andy’s currents flowing. He loves that Lighthouse will invest the time and energy to not only keep up with the constant Residential Machine Volume (RMV), but also invest in truly one-of-a-kind installations that help shape innovation.
From Flashlight to Smart Grid. Andy compares early Solar Technology to an old flashlight. However, in the 2010’s, Andy’s world changed when he took a class on Smart Grid technology. The vision of every solar system becoming smarter than your smartphone captured his imagination. Today, that vision has become a reality, with new battery backup systems from Enphase and Smart Panels from Span. As the revolutionary advancements in the solar industry continue, Andy’s commitment to progress never changes. He focuses on keeping up with the constant industry changes, which is something he loves about the space.
He finds this dynamism even in daily work processes, as he is “specifying the parts for all the systems… while...always having to look for the best product for the application or the newest solution that makes sense.” Even in these evolving daily tasks, we see Andy’s passion.
A resident of Austin since 1984, he boasts that the city has always been a place of great diversity. It is full of Cowboys and Hippies, International UT Students, and the Geeks of the tech world. This eclectic bunch made Austin great back then and is what continues to make it great now. He’s fascinated with American History and how we, quite literally, got to where we are today. He imagines the challenges of traversing the great river crossings and mountains of Appalachia. Could we do it today? These interests are rooted in his family’s journey of emigrating from Ireland during the Potato Famine to Natchez Mississippi. It is here where his great-grandfather met a Cherokee woman and the rest is Bush family history. When not fascinated by the Louisiana Purchase and the effects of the Civil War, Andy is channeling the musical history of local places that shaped his youth. Austin's Liberty Lunch was an amazing place to take in a concert, like Bob Mould’s, Sugar. While on a sabbatical, the vibrant atmosphere of New Orleans allowed him to take on the SugarCubes and Bjork at Tippitinas, and other greats like Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, and other various Jazz and Hip Hop acts. These rich and diverse currents of Light, Energy, and Music have always flowed through Andy making him who he is today.
