Resources
Media Library
Solar Power Midwest customers and projects in their own words. Short reels from Illinois homeowners, farms, and businesses who made their homes more efficient and put solar on top.
About SPM
33 Years, 30,000 Customers, One Referral at a Time
Dave Sonner has been remodeling Illinois homes since the early 1990s: windows first, then siding, then solar in 2001. This is his thank-you to the customers who made it happen. One project turns into a referral, then another, the way Chris went from a ground-mount solar system to new windows for his business and then signed three more contracts. Free estimates, no pressure, across windows, siding, solar, batteries, and commercial energy.
Watch 33 Years, 30,000 Customers, One Referral at a TimeSolar
Jim's Ground-Mount Solar: A $25 Electric Bill
Jim Siegel found Solar Power Midwest online and chose a ground-mount system in his backyard, set close to the power line so less trenching was needed. His electric bill dropped from around $160 a month to the $20 to $25 minimum, and he uses the system for his business too. He called a few other companies first, then went with Dave because of how clearly the plan was laid out for him.
Watch Jim's Ground-Mount SolarSolar
Friedstead Farms: A $20 Power Bill on a Working Farm
Scott Friedstead runs a working farm in Morris, Illinois that dries all its own corn, so the power runs year round and the bills add up. He looked at several companies before going with Dave, partly because at a small company you talk straight to the president. Solar Power Midwest sized a ground-mount system against his actual usage in 2021, and the bill has come out to about $20 a month, steady every year since. As Scott puts it, you sized it up right for our usage and it has come out just right every year.
Watch Friedstead FarmsWindows
Inside the Window Factory: Why Ours Stay Straight
Dave walks the window manufacturing floor, including the four-point welder that makes each frame strong and clean. The part that matters sits inside the frame: a fiberglass reinforcement that keeps the window straight and performing, where cheaper windows sag at the rail over time. It is also a 20-year partnership, with the manufacturer crediting Dave for his quality, installation, and after-sale support.
Watch Inside the Window FactoryCommercial
New Commercial Windows After the Storm
When high winds from a tornado blew out the aging aluminum-frame windows at Bradley Mowers, Solar Power Midwest replaced them the following week. The new units open, have screens, and are a clear upgrade over windows that had been in for years. Chris referred the job after SPM had already done work on his home and another building.
Watch New Commercial Windows After the StormSiding
Naperville's First Insulated Siding House
Dave has known Larry since 1993, back when Larry supplied the siding SPM bought. When insulated siding first came out, they did the first house with it in Naperville. Thirty years later the friendship and the work are both still going strong. If you are weighing insulated siding, this is the crew that has been installing it since the beginning.
Watch Naperville's First Insulated Siding HouseAbout SPM
What It Looks Like When the Owner Actually Cares
Carly started working with Dave 17 years ago, came up as a manager, and now owns two businesses of her own. She talks about a mentor who practiced what he preached, showed up day and night, and taught her that when you genuinely care about the customer, you build something that lasts. It is the same standard Dave brings to every Solar Power Midwest job.
Watch What It Looks Like When the Owner Actually Cares