When Go Power started with power grid conversion in 1996, the year it was founded, solar was not as popular of an energy source as it is today.
“Back then, solar panels were still black magic,” said Eva Mitic, Go Power’s marketing manager. The company became one of the first in the solar industry to implement UL standards around 2010, replacing CE marking and CF conventions previously in place.
Go Power started as a small Canadian business reselling electronics, designing its own products and hiring the first sales team around the turn of the millennium. The company’s first product was a single-panel solar kit released in 2004, which they started selling to large distributors like Keystone, quickly becoming a multinational player in the RV industry.
“It was basically the grandfather of the Overlander, which is our most popular kit now,” Mitic said. “That is our Big Mac. A single family of four camping off-grid can completely offset their RV’s lights, fans, all electricity usage, with a single Overlander solar kit.”
After Carmanah Technologies bought the supplier in 2005, Go Power started launching several product lines and shifting to the fleet market. Valterra Products acquired Go Power in 2017.
Though Mitic said Go Power has been serving the RV aftermarket and OEMs since its inception, the company also has a presence in the marine industry and tiny homes. They have sold over one million solar panels.
“One in three RVs are pre-wired or feature a Go Power product on it,” Mitic said. Even RVs that are not pre-fit with solar panels are designed ready for their installation, if a buyer so chooses.
