Los Angeles Electricians Promote & Support Solar Energy

Sunday, September 20, 2009
Robert Stern
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

HAMILTON "" As the national recession has put the squeeze on the construction industry, electrical contractors like Steve Hendrickson have sought out new revenue streams to counter the economic pinch.

For Hendrickson, owner of Hamilton-based Hendrickson Electric, one such new source of revenue comes from helping customers harness the power of the sun.

That's why Hendrickson recently installed a 10-kilowatt household solar array for a residence in the farmland of northern New Jersey, a $90,000 job.

The allure of growth in the solar-energy sector is what drew Hendrickson and more than 100 other electrical contractors last week to a seminar on the technical, bureaucratic and financial components of the solar-power market that Trenton-based Griffith Electric hosted at The Hamilton Manor here.

Griffith, a Trenton staple selling electrical supplies since 1938, is one of the newest players in the booming solar-energy business.

By getting independent contractors involved in selling and installing solar systems, the electrical-supply company could profit as a distributor. Griffith will sell a range of solar-power systems from 1-kilowatt household units to 100-kilowatt commercial systems, said John Lyle, Griffith's vice president for operations.

"We know we're the first (electrical-supply) distributor in the area involved with solar," Lyle said.

"One of the reasons we're having (the seminar) is New Jersey has mandated that by the year 2020, 30 percent of its electricity is to be produced by renewable energy," he said. That includes solar, wind and bio-power sources of electricity.

The benefits of solar power include reduced pollution, conservation of natural resources and increased self-reliance for energy needs.

For Griffith, reaching out to contractors about its foray into the solar business through the seminar made economic sense.