Nationally Recognized Solar Expert Coming to Columbia for Workshop - July 20
Submitted by: Mike Switzer on May 31, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Tagged with: Education, Electrical Engineering, Solar Power
Source: Argand Energy Solutions
Columbia, SC, May 25, 2010. The person highly involved with writing the photovoltaics (solar electricity) section of the National Electrical Code will be in Columbia, SC on July 20 conducting a full-day workshop entitled “Photovoltaic Power Systems (Solar and the National Electrical Code)”. John Wiles is a Program Manager at the Southwest Technology Development Institute at New Mexico State University. He helps the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, electrical contractors, electrical inspectors, and PV professionals to understand the solar PV requirements of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Mr. Wiles serves as Secretary for the PV Industry Forum, a task group involved with Article 690 regarding solar of the NEC. Specifically, he drafted text for Article 690 in the 2005 and 2008 NEC Handbooks.
The seminar came about as a result of the City of Columbia awarding Argand Energy Solutions a Business Spotlight Award from the City's Office of Business Opportunities (OBO). Argand is a statewide installer of solar electrical systems with office's in Columbia, Charlotte, and Raleigh. Part of the award included a meeting with the city economic development and business retention team to discuss any issues involving Argand's needs for growth. “During the course of our everyday business as a seller and installer of solar equipment in Columbia and throughout South Carolina”, said Chris Salmon, Argand's co-founder, “we continually encounter individuals and companies that have entered the solar industry who are not properly credentialed. It has also been our experience that most electrical, building, and fire inspectors do not have the necessary level of solar knowledge to perform adequate inspections. Even electrical utility workers are new on the solar learning curve.” Salmon is a certified solar installer through the industry organization, NABCEP, North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, and has attended a John Wiles seminar at Appalachian Sate University. Ryan Coleman and Angelo McBride, with Columbia's OBO agreed with Salmon that bringing John Wiles to South Carolina would be the most efficient way to begin to bring the state's level of solar education up to where it needs to be and have committed to sponsoring the workshop with Argand.
The title sponsor for the event is Comfort Services/Lennox. Comfort is the largest installer of Lennox heating and air conditioning systems in the Midlands. Lennox is the only manufacturer of solar-assisted HVAC systems in the country, branded as SunSource. More SunSource units have been sold in Columbia, SC than in any other city in the US. Several non-profit organizations have signed up to sponsor the presentation, including the SC Chapter of the US Green Building Council, SC Energy Office, USC Moore School of Business Net Impact, and more to be announced soon. The workshop will provide six hours of continuing education credits to NABCEP photovoltaic installers, seven hours to American Institute of Architects (AIA) members, and professional engineers will receive 7 Professional Development Hours.
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According to Erik Lensch, Argand's President and co-founder in the Charlotte office, “We are fast approaching what I would call the perfect solar storm, when in only a few years, the cost of generating electricity through solar will not only equal, but will begin to drop below the traditional methods of electrical generation. This will cause the solar industry to explode and our regulators, inspectors, and everybody else involved need to be prepared.”
John Wiles bought his first code book in 1960 and installed his first PV system in 1984. He lived in an off-grid, PV/wind-powered home (permitted and inspected, of course) with his wife Patti, two dogs, and a cat for more than 16 years. His home currently has a 5 kW utility-interactive PV system will full-house battery backup. He has a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering.
The seminar, including lunch, will be held 8:30am to 4:30pm on Tuesday July 20 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and will cost $89 per person or $69 per person for more than one from the same organization. For more information and to register online for the presentation, visit http://johnwilessc.eventbrite.com or contact Mike Switzer at (803) 348-2236 or mike@magnoliamediainc.com.