Faces of Solar: Mark Raeder, Founding Principal, Summit Ridge Energy

Few people have had as significant an impact on the Illinois solar industry as Mark Raeder, a founding Principal of Summit Ridge Energy.

Mark Raeder was among the most impactful people in Illinois' solar industry. (Photo provided by Summit Ridge Energy)

Anywhere you look across the Illinois solar industry – whether that is developing solar installations, shaping impactful legislative policy, or inspiring countless young professionals to build careers in solar – Mark was involved. Tragically, Mark passed away in March 2025, leaving behind an incredible impact on the industry and those whose lives he touched.

“Mark can accurately be described as good at everything and good to everyone,” said Mark’s brother Steve Raeder, Founder and CEO of Summit Ridge Energy. “He was intellectually and athletically gifted, compassionate, driven by a righteous sense of fairness and justice, and could meet anyone where they were – high or low.”

Originally a financial advisor by trade, Mark’s interest in solar began around 2007. By 2008, Mark had convinced Steve of the solar industry’s growth potential, and the two of them founded their first company, New Grid Energy Solutions.

Years later Mark helped Steve start Summit Ridge Energy, where Mark quickly established himself as a key player in the Illinois solar industry, leading the company’s activities across the state including its policy efforts, where he helped develop the incredibly successful Illinois Shines program in 2016’s landmark Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA).

As of June 2025, Illinois Shines has supported almost 110,000 completed or in-progress projects, a testament to Mark’s dedication to making solar energy more accessible to all families and businesses across Illinois.

Mark also played a crucial role in building careers in solar for people of all backgrounds. He took on a mentorship role for younger Summit Ridge Energy staff and led Summit Ridge’s partnership with the 548 Foundation, whose Clean Energy Training Program has provided solar career training to hundreds of people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Steve and the Summit Ridge team are committed to making sure Mark’s legacy lives on, aiming to launch a charitable foundation in his name later this year.

“His humor was dry, his whit sharp, and his heart huge,” Steve said. “He is dearly missed, but his legacy lives on in the friends and family he left behind, the business he helped build, and the Mark A. Raeder Foundation.”