Direct Energy Solar to cut 108 jobs in Maryland

Regional solar installer Direct Energy Solar, previously known as Astrum Solar, will reduce its headcount by 108 employees in September, when it plans to close its office in Columbia, Maryland.

The company has submitted a Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) on July 25. It says that the effective date of the job cuts is set for September 12. The notice describes the move as a "plant closure".

According to the company's website, the Columbia operations centre is its corporate headquarters and serves homeowners and small businesses in Maryland, Delaware and Washington, DC.

In a statement quoted by local newspapers the firm says it is closing the office as it plans to focus on the development of community solar projects and energy storage systems.

Direct Energy took over Astrum Solar in late July 2014 for about USD 54 million (EUR 46m). This transaction marked Direct Energy’s entry into the US residential solar market, it said at the time.

In addition to Maryland, Direct Energy Solar currently also serves the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington, DC. The company has said it will continue to provide maintenance services to all existing installations.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.859)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!