PV only contractors? Compiled [RE-wrenches]

Fri Jun 28 03:28:19 PDT 2002

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Joel,
         You can count me in as one of the few PV only full time wrenches 
in the state of Maine. There are a few businesses selling PV, but they 
contract out any installation work.
Daryl DeJoy
Penobscot Solar Design

At 10:22 PM 6/27/02 -0700, you wrote:
>This email is long, but I think it is more interesting than the stuff in
>the newspapers and on TV.
>
>On June 5, 2002, I was asked how many full-time contractors in the U.S.
>install just PV. No occasional PV contractors. No contractors that do
>conventional electrical work and some PV work. No mail-order or internet
>parts houses. Just real, full-time contractors that only install PV. I
>really don't know, but I'm guessing that there are less than 100
>independent PV installers in California who work full time in PV. So I
>asked Wrenches to post how many full-time PV contractors you think are
>in the U.S. Here are your responses.
>
>Don Loweburg, Offline, Northfork, CA "count me as one of the full
>timers."
>
>Jeff Wolfe, Global Resources, Strafford, VT "about 15 people in Vermont
>who make a full time living by selling and installing PV. That's being
>conservative. (i.e. I'm not counting our firm as 5, but instead as 2.
>That's about what we have doing the field material ordering, final
>design and installation.) Counted in a more loose fashion, the number
>could be 25-30. Of course, not all our work is in VT, or the US for that
>matter."
>
>Kirk Herander, Vermont Solar Engineering, Burlington , VT "To comment on
>Jeff W.'s remarks, there are roughly 15 - 20 owners & employees at small
>VT RE dealer / installer businesses making a full-time living at
>combined renewables, not just PV. Please note this is 15-20 are people,
>not # of businesses. Full-time businesses are roughly 8, and I would say
>3 or 4 tops are at or above $300k in combined yearly revenues."
>
>Travis Creswell, Ozark Energy Services, Neosho, MO "I'm not full time
>solar PV although I sure got into it with the goal of full time.
>Currently my commercial and industrial lighting services are at least
>70% of my annual business and growing.  My best estimate for my
>business' foreseeable future is less and less solar, partly because the
>lighting services are doing so good but mainly because it appears to be
>impossible to make a living doing solar in my area. As far as I know
>there are NO full time contractors doing PV only in the four states of
>MO, AR, KS and OK.  Of course, I'm defining contractors as someone who
>has some form of license and insurance and really is in business. I
>occasionally hear of folks with no business name who are dabbling with
>it. If your guess is less than 100 in California I'd would say the rest
>of the country might only add up to another 200."
>
>Bill Roush, Solar Electric Systems of Kansas City, Inc., Lenexa, KS "If,
>by contractor, you mean installing in homes and commercial buildings,
>there are none in MO, KS, NE, OK, AR." (Joel - I asked Bill if he is
>doing installations and he replied) "Sure, I'm doing them. But I mostly
>sell to parks and other folks in remote locations. I'd starve if I had
>to depend on PV home sales in the Midwest. It is just not here. With
>only one or two local install jobs a year, I use a local electrician.
>Other 'home' systems in this area are 'hobbyists' who do it themselves.
>The Rural Electric Co-ops are everywhere here so there is almost no
>'off-grid' market."
>
>Darrin Primm, Hutton Communications, Inc, Lawrenceville, GA "NC, SC, VA,
>TN, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA AND KY. There are six companies I am aware of in
>the above listed states that derive most of their revenue from PV and
>wind.  A bunch of solar thermal folks in Florida do PV but most of their
>income is solar thermal. I must put the company for which I work in the
>"PV as a small part of our total revenue" category too.  PV and related
>products has run no more than 12% of total revenue since we started in
>1979.  About 90% of that is stand alone industrial systems for
>telecommunications, gas & oil and wireless/remote data and commercial
>backup power.  The reason I chose to go to work for a distributor was
>the slim pickings available to a wrench in these parts."
>
>Jim Hartley, Homestead Specialties, St. Charles, IL "I would have said a
>max 250 bona fide, fully credentialed, full-timer installation firms in
>the US states.  There are none in Illinois so far as I know, including
>myself.  There is one fellow in Chicago who may make a full time living
>at this sort of thing but a large part of his work is actually occurring
>in Latin America, not around here.  That's pretty sad when you think
>about it. As for Wisconsin, I can't say all that much but there are more
>established dealers/installers up there than there have ever been in
>Illinois.  I suspect some of these folks are making a go of things but
>only they will be able to say. Someone once asked me why don't all you
>small companies everywhere just start one large national company so you
>have some real clout and all that experience under one roof.  It sounded
>interesting but that's not everybody's dream.  But I got me to thinking
>at least.  Think of the purchasing power that would represent and all
>the accumulated expertise getting put to work everywhere."
>
>William Miller, SLO Communications, Santa Margarita, CA "I am currently
>working 95% in the PV industry and have been for about 2 years.  I don't
>recommend 100% in any trade.  PV is a fickle industry.  One change in
>the rebate or e-net legislation and I'm home watching Oprah. That is
>unless I have other trades to pursue.  I learned a long time ago that
>diversity is the key to staying ahead of the bill collectors."
>
>John Mottl, Rainshadow Solar Electric Inc., Orcas, WA "I have had a full
>time PV business since 1988 in Washington state. We employee three
>people. I would estimate that there are 26 people working on installing
>PV systems in Washington State on a regular basis. Just three years ago
>I would say this number was 12. The industry is expanding rapidly in
>WA."
>
>Jay Peltz, Peltz Power, Redway, CA counts himself "99.9% off grid."
>
>Graham Owen, Go Solar, North Hollywood, CA "How about "solar only"
>contractors.  I have been installing and servicing solar equipment full
>time for over 20 years.  Now that I am looking at homes outside of LADWP
>territory it is obvious that solar systems can be installed as money
>saving devises if sized to allow for peak shaving and keeping homeowners
>at baseline rates. Some of these homes have electric water heaters,
>which are the biggest year round load and air conditioning as biggest
>summer time load.  A professionally installed solar domestic hot water
>heating system may be able to provide more savings than PV at a fraction
>of the cost. I like having different solar solution options available
>for each individual homeowner. I don't have the mindset that
>electricians are elitist and plumbers are dirty. I will install whatever
>type of solar energy system makes the most sense for my customer."
>
>Todd Cory, Mt. Shasta Energy Services, Mt. Shasta, CA "Up here I am part
>time PV, and the rest regular rope pulling for new construction,
>additions and remodels. I usually do from 4 to 8 systems a year. Keeps
>me plenty busy and very happy."
>
>Patrick A. Redgate, AMECO, Long Beach, CA "AMECO has been actively
>engaged in solar and only solar since its inception in 1974. Long Beach
>based, we had at one time three satellite offices and twenty-seven
>employees (six part time) in 1985.   We have installed solar heating
>systems for water, pools, spas, space heating (air collectors included),
>and most recently, PV.  In the eighties we were happy to install stand
>alone PV systems, mostly simple battery and battery-less DC direct
>systems, but found the business too distracting (for every fifty
>inquiries about PV, we would make 1/2 sale).  So for years we have just
>been referring calls to Real Goods (and before that Wm Lamb).  I think
>so much of this business in the past was an outgrowth of the need to
>power gro-lights, and accounts for the over representation of PV'ers in
>No. California (as well as in other remote areas). In terms of time
>spent, about ninety percent of our time is thermal.
>In terms of gross revenue, probably about twenty percent is PV. In terms
>of profit, probably about 95% is thermal. We currently have five people
>and do solar ONLY."
>
>Steve Willey, Backwoods Solar, Sandpoint, ID "Probably 15 or so in
>Idaho."
>
>Chris Worcester, Solar Wind Works, Truckee, CA "I'm full time with PV &
>Wind installs & sales. I'd say 80% PV to 20% wind."
>
>Jeff Yago, Dunimis Technology Inc., Manakin Sabot, VA "located near
>Richmond Virginia is a 100% full time solar pv design and installation
>business, although I also co-own an energy engineering business - which
>may put us in your less than 100% solar bracket. Since Virginia includes
>the Virginia Beach/Newport news area with several long time solar pool
>and DHW contractors doing some pv, several isolated university type
>towns with at least one solar/fireplace/energy saving product store in
>each, and the Washington DC area (which is in a different world all to
>itself!!), I only know about 8 to 10 advertised solar contractors in
>Virginia and I am almost positive that none are 100% full time pv. s. We
>do have the fairly new PB Solorex amorphous module plant that located
>near Williamsburg Virginia (as a result of a state solar manufacturer
>tax break to attract a them), but I think most of their product is
>shipped out of state. Also, even though Virginia passed a net metering
>law about two years ago, Virginia's residential electric rates are still
>in the 7 to 8 cent/kwh range (except maybe around D.C.), so I am not
>seeing the economics here yet for grid tied systems which may be holding
>down any increase in installers. The Washington DC area of Virginia
>overlaps the nearby Baltimore Maryland marketing area which has higher
>utility rates and a higher percentage of solar pv dealers and
>installers."
>
>Lee Tavenner, Solar Plexus, Missoula, MT "strictly RE. We have a small
>retail store/ office. We carry on all our consultation and design and
>ordering etc. from there. We are in the over $300,000 catagory. Three
>partners: two installers and one office/store person, occasional field
>helper. This business supports one couple and a young family of four. I
>would say about 70% of our business is solar, about 25% is hydro and
>about 5% is wind. I'm not sure, but I doubt there are any other
>full-time RE installers in Montana over $300,000. I would guess that the
>numbers nationally are low except in areas with the bydowns and other
>big incentives."
>
>Alan Sindelar, Positive Energy, Santa Fe, NM "Ben Luce, president of
>NMSEA, and I together guesstimated 7 in NM. That # could vary
>considerably, depending on how terms are defined. 3-4 times that for
>peripherals, I'd say. We are FT PV contractors, unless we're
>disqualified for about 2% solar thermal. We gross about $4-500K/yr, and
>employ 4 FT and 1 PT."
>
>Dan Whigham, SC Solar, Lancaster, SC "We work in NC, SC, GA, and Latin
>America."
>
>Antony Tersol, Applied Solar Energy, Pacific Grove, CA "In Monterey,
>Calif. area, there are two that we know of: Solex and Applied Solar
>Energy."
>
>Joel Davidson again. In 1990, when I was with Hoxan, I estimated about
>20 U.S. "resellers" of all types (distributors, dealers, installers,
>mail-order, but not including manufacturers) doing at least $500k in PV
>revenues annually and about 100 doing less than $500k. Lots of one-man
>operations, some mom-and-pops and a few larger companies like Atlantic
>Solar, Sunelco, Solar Depot, Real Goods, Solar Electric Specialties,
>Photron, Wm. Lamb, Photocomm, Integrated Power Corporation, etc. Some of
>the bigger companies did installation work. Many of the smaller
>companies only did a few installations a year.
>
>You may ask, "So what?" Those of us who work in PV over 3000 hours a
>year sometimes wonder if we are "a small circle of friends" to quote
>Phil Ochs or if there are too damn many many of us going after the same
>customers. Is the market half empty or half full? When 3 guys quote your
>customer, it can seem pretty crowded. But the truth is if we want more
>solar in the world, then there are not enough of people who get up in
>the morning and do PV until they are too tired to think and then get up
>the next day just do it all over again.
>
>Have a happy 4th of July holiday!
>
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