Electical Contractor

Earlier this summer, as its session drew to a close, the Oregon State Legislature passed a bevy of bills to boost the state’s renewable energy market. Two days before the end of session, the legislature passed HB 3201, which expanded Oregon’s existing Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC).

In an attempt to make amends with the environment, the US government may be attempting too much of a leap.

A mirror alignment measurement device, invented by Rich Diver, a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories, may soon make one of the most popular solar collector systems—parabolic troughs— more affordable and energy efficient.

There seems to be two conflicting certainties about the photovoltaic (PV) or solar module installation market: It is a rapidly expanding and lucrative opportunity, and curiously, not that many electrical contractors are aware of it or have chosen to explore its potential.

The Integration of photovoltaics (PV) into building systems represents a growth market for the electrical contracting firm. PV combined into exterior building elements such as the building’s roof and exterior walls is typically referred to as building-

Solar energy could become more affordable, following a breakthrough by Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) scientists who have boosted the efficiency of solar cell technology.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, more homeowners and homebuilders are considering solar power as the government provides more incentives and concerns regarding climate change and energy prices increase.

As alternative energy shoulders its way into the electrical industry, it increasingly plays by the same rules as the standard electric grid, making installation more straightforward.

In March 2007, Portugal opened what is being considered the world’s largest-producing solar power plant.