The following interview was conducted on PIVTR Talk Radio by Diane Tegarden with Joe Cannon of Empire Solar Solutions Inc., located at 530 S. Lake Avenue, Ste. #751, Pasadena, CA, 91101.
Joe, I want to welcome you to The FireWalker Flare- a Renewable Energy Solutions Talk Radio Program.
1. How many years has Empire Solar Solutions, Inc. been in business?
We have been in business 3 years, but all the team members have 5-10 years of experience, they came from other solar companies.
2. What are your areas of expertise?
We specialize in residential and small commercial solar electric systems – we’re particularly good at working closely with architects, builders, roofers, etc on new construction projects.
3. What other services are available from your company?
Empire Solar Solutions Inc. also offers energy efficiency audits that help the customers to identify opportunities to cost effectively reduce electric bills.
4. Which licenses do you have?
The company has a B license and the installers all have C-10 licenses.
5. Are there any projects you’re working on now that you’d like to mention?
We are currently working on supplying systems for Rock Row, an affordable LEED development in Eagle Rock. We also just finished another LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified home up in Malibu. We’re working on another LEED certified development (15 small lot homes) putting solar power on most of them. We have lots of new construction projects – it is a good idea if you’re considering a new building, major remodel, or even re-roofing to add solar.
6. What inspired you to become a Renewable Energy Company?
Personally, I got started at Boeing’s Rocketdyne Division helping them commercialize some of the new technologies they had demonstrated. Since then the division was divested but the technologies are making a big splash including power towers and the dish engine systems. I had a background working in the power generation field with GE where I managed installation and maintenance projects for large power plants. I also had experience working with home improvements companies. I was brought on to develop a solar product line for Empire Today. We have since taken the solar division outside the company and are focused on high quality installations and really capitalize on our referral business.
7. What’s unique about what your company does?
I don’t know if it is super unique, there are a lot of good solar integrators, but one of the things is that we really focus on is quality and value. Quality because the systems last a long time and you have to install it right. Also, because we get a lot of our sales through referrals, we want to make sure every customer is very happy. This involves not just installing the system to the best standards but also communicating and coordinating well with the customers. Value is our other focus because many customers are doing this for the economic benefits as well as the environmental. A lot of our customers are getting over 15% return on their investment. It is sure outperforming a lot of other investments…and it’s green. We use the highest value components on the market. We use mostly Sharp modules because of their proven reliability and the strong backing of a strong company. There are a lot of start-up companies out there with interesting products but when you are looking at a system that has a 25 year warranty, then you probably want to go with a company that has been around at least 25 years.
8. How does your company positively affect our environment?
The exact impact on the environment is up for debate. I’ve seen articles that say the energy or carbon break-even is anywhere between 1.5 to 2 years. When you consider that the systems generate for 25 plus years, the environmental impact is extremely positive. The other thing to take into account is that with each system the industry gets bigger and has more experience. This helps us move down the learning curve to less expensive systems and systems that are produced more efficiently using less power and fewer materials. We are still in the very early stages of what could be a transformative technology.
9. Please tell our readers about any new, exciting technologies that you’re working with.
Like I mentioned earlier, we intentionally don’t use the bleeding edge technologies because we want to focus on reliability. There are some new technologies out there that are maturing and, I think after they work out any bugs, will have a real positive influence. An example is micro-inverters which will simplify design and installations. Another example is the advances made in racking systems that are allowing more attractive installations. The thin-film products that are coming out are good for the industry but they don’t usually work well for residential installations because the efficiency is lower and space is usually a premium on a home. They work great in some commercial and utility scale applications.
10. How can people contact your company?You can visit the Empire Solar Solutions Inc. website, call them at 800-SUN-1010 or email Joe at: jcannon@empiresolar.com to answer any of your solar questions.
For more information on LEED buildings, see: Where can I buy green building materials in Pasadena? Where are the LEED buildings in Pasadena?
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