Words: David O'Brien

Thanks to Coast Lines magazine

Paul Staska grew up in the country town of Kapunda in the Barossa region, where a strong work ethic and community spirit were part of everyday life. Now proudly based in Willunga, he’s brought those same values to the Fleurieu Peninsula, where he’s known simply as the Solar-Man. Over the past 20 years, Paul’s journey in the renewables industry has been defined by innovation, integrity, and a no-compromise approach to quality.

From a young age, Paul showed an instinctive knack for all things technical. “I used to play with the old Dick Smith electronic kits,” he recalls. “Build little devices just to see what they could do.” Although not formally trained as an electrician, Paul dabbled in electronics, self-educating his way into installing alarm systems. “I just grabbed a few bits and pieces off the shelf and figured out how it all worked.”

That curiosity laid the groundwork for what would eventually become a career—although his entry into the industry came via air conditioning. He spent over a decade in the field, growing increasingly disillusioned with the inefficiencies he saw in modern housing. “People were building houses that needed bigger and bigger air conditioners and consumed more power because of poor design. It went against everything I’d grown up with.”

Paul’s upbringing was rooted in self-sufficiency. “Mum and Dad grew all our own meat, most of our vegetables and fruit. We lived off rainwater,” he says. “That kind of thinking—lean, clean and efficient—stuck with me from the start.”

So when a knee reconstruction sidelined him from work, it became a pivotal moment. “I had this kind of epiphany about wind turbines,” he says. “I was already looking for a career change and renewables caught my attention.”

At the time, solar was still a cottage industry in South Australia. “A solar panel cost about $2,500 back then—no one was just putting them on their roof for fun,” Paul says with a smile. Encouraged by early industry players, he enrolled in a fledgling renewables course at Regency Park College and, in his first semester, earned a High Distinction. “It spoke my language. It just rang my bell.”

While the electricians in the course struggled with unfamiliar DC systems, Paul—unburdened by prior training—soaked it all up. “It just made sense to me,” he says. “I became a sponge for all of it.”

He supplemented the course with additional electrical training and by the end of his studies (2.5 years in total), was well-equipped with both knowledge and passion. But Paul laments how the depth of that early training has since been lost. “That same accreditation now takes just four or five days. I was lucky—right place, right time.”

Armed with qualifications, Paul joined a renewables company where he learned about legislation and working with network providers—things TAFE didn’t cover. But it wasn’t long before his values clashed with company practices. He discovered they were quoting customers based solely on capacity, leaving out brand names to allow cheaper swaps at installation. “They were promising a Mercedes and delivering a Morris Minor,” Paul says bluntly.

Then came the lightbulb moment. During a visit with a customer, the woman answered a phone call saying, “Sorry, I can’t talk right now—I’ve got the solar man here.” Paul grins at the memory. “I thought, what a cracker of a business name! That just says it all.” He registered the name, opened a bank account with $100 and Solar-Man was born.

When Paul’s family purchased land at Inman Valley the property lacked both mains water and electricity—a perfect setting to apply his off-grid training. “I built my own off-grid power system on-site, which became a demonstration site for customers. People could see and touch a working system, not just hear about it.”

Two decades on, Paul has weathered the challenges of cash flow, subsidies, and small business survival. Through it all, quality has remained his cornerstone.

His then-wife once captured the essence of his work with a simple analogy: “It’s like buying a kitchen. You can get a flatpack from IKEA or go to a cabinetmaker for something bespoke. Both are kitchens—but the quality is worlds apart.” Paul nods in agreement. “That’s me. I’m the cabinetmaker.”

After 20 years of doing it his way, it’s clear: the Solar-Man isn’t just lighting up rooftops—he’s setting the standard.