Electical Contractor

Photovoltaic (PV) modules convert sunlight directly into electrical energy. Integrating PV into a building will impact its operation. Not only will the PV system produce electric energy to serve building loads but it can also reduce the building's electric demand and air-conditioning heat load.

A group of students at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore were assigned to estimate the investment needed for solar photovoltaic (PV) technology to supply 20 percent of U.S. electricity by 2100.

There are a number of photovoltaic (PV) technologies available for converting sunlight into electrical energy. For building applications, technologies that are commercially available are predominately silicon-based and can be categorized as either crystalline silicon or thin film.

Distributed generation (DG) refers to the practice of locating small-scale electric generating units at or near the load served. With distributed generation, individual buildings or complexes can have a local electric power supply that provides some or all of the facility's electric energy needs.

Photovoltaic (PV) modules convert sunlight into electrical energy that can be used to provide power for specific loads within a building in a standalone system or as a supplement to the building’s utility power supply in an integrated system.

It’s been said that opportunities in solar power photovoltaics—abound for electrical contractors. True or false? You be the judge. Thirty-five states provide some type of solar incentive, ranging from sales tax and property tax waivers to investment credits.

California’s energy crisis, with its well-publicized rolling blackouts, effectively depleted the state’s 15 percent energy reserve. In efforts to restore it, Gov. Gray Davis is calling for a heavier reliance on green power—including solar—through the California Power Authority.

I recently did a workshop for a major city experiencing problems with inspections on photovoltaic (PV) systems during and after installation. The problem was between the inspection and fire department.