The solar industry has been making quite a few strides in the United States, but consumers seem to be unaware that solar power is virtually within reach in the country now, a company executive thinks.
Joshua Goldworm, vice president of new business development at Clear Skies Solar, a New York-based company which develops and installs rooftop solar panels, says the United States has great potential for solar power development.
The Solar Energy Industries Association, the country’s solar energy industry trade association, has said as much in 2009 in a study.
The association published a photovoltaic solar resource map of the United States which showed that the country has an annual average solar resource of between approximately 1,500 kilowatt-hours per meters squared to about 2,400 kWh/m2.
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But Mr. Goldworm told ECOSEED there is a misconception that solar power is the more expensive renewable energy option, which leads to its slower-paced adoption. The cost of solar power has actually gone down from $4 per watt from four years ago to $2 per watt currently, he said.
Clear Skies Solar delivers turnkey solar installations to commercial customers. The company says its construction background provides it with real-world experience in the industry. The company has gained confidence in sub-1-megawatt projects.
Mr. Goldworm said state policies have helped encourage solar growth and carried the costs involved in solar power installation and development.
He cited the solar renewable energy credit program in New Jersey which allows residents that installed rooftop solar panels to make extra income by selling energy generated from the panels to utilities. These utilities are required to buy clean electricity according to the state’s renewable portfolio standard.
Currently, Clear Skies Solar is saying it will focus on developing huge, commercial-scale rooftop solar systems and establishing business partnerships that will allow them to expand significantly over the next five years.
But Mr. Goldworm suggested that some national thrusts might have to change. In the Midwestern United States region, for example, more attention is currently given to wind power development. But he said the region will actually benefit more from solar power.
Clear Skies Solar also designs and integrates solar power systems and develops new technologies and products, such as proprietary PV panel mounting systems that promise reduced system installation time.
