That big splash you just heard was all the almost-out-of-work contractors  jumping into the pool of green construction. An article in ENR today noted that Orlando Electric Utility is bidding a 10 MegaWatt solar project and has 27 teams of bidders. That amount of interest surprised everyone. A similar request for proposals last year netted 10 bidders.

Several years ago OEU put photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the Orlando Convention Center at a cost of $7M and production of about 1 MegaWatt. They must be pleased with the PV solar performance to be returning to the table for a much bigger helping.

The article further noted that FPL (Florida’s biggest utility) is also planning some PV solar projects. Though the fact that they stated they can produce electricity for $0.12/kwhr with coal and $0.26/kwhr with PV solar made me wonder.

I’ve recently had several customers ask me about ways to use green solutions to help the environment and save costs. That’s the kind of problem I enjoy solving. An electrical contractor and friend also started pushing that side of his business. This combination of trying to do good and do well appeals to me.

I’m working on several large (1 MegaWatt to 16 MegaWatt)  PV solar projects and having great fun with them. I love figuring out the most efficient ways to build and maintain things, so I’m like the proverbial pig in poop. The photo below shows a similar project at The Solar Grove® at Centocor Headquarters in Horsham, PA (a Johnson & Johnson company).

If you find yourself with some available time, learn about the various green technologies. Just go to Google and start searching and reading. Remember, your value in the market depends much more on what you do than what the market does.