With a background in electrical construction, Steve Johnson opened Lightwave Solar Electric, LLC in 2006, a full-service solar panel installation firm that has been involved with some of the largest such projects in Tennessee so far.
The Nashville-based company, which also designs rooftop photovoltaic systems, posted $2.7 million in sales last year and expects to double that in 2010 as the alternative energy source gains wider acceptance among consumers.
Government incentives for businesses and homeowners to convert to solar systems have helped business, Johnson said, but the market is likely to remain tiny until the cost of solar power reaches parity with coal and other energy sources.
Johnson shares his views about new technology and the growth of solar energy, especially as large solar manufacturers like Hemlock Semiconductor, a $1.2 billion plant planned near Clarksville, Tennessee, take root in the state.
"About two years ago, we did the largest project in the state, which was 50 kilowatts in Oak Ridge. Then a year later, we did a 50-kilowatt system in Smyrna at Franke Foodservice. City Square Shopping Center in Hendersonville was 88 kilowatts. The Metro Development and Housing Authority did 60- and 70-kilowatt systems on Parthenon Towers and Madison Towers, and we were associated with that. We also did Al Gore's house and Sheryl Crow's house."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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