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.

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.”

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Excerpt: “His humor was dry, his wit 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.”

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Read more: Solar Powers Illinois, by SPI.

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