Company hopes residents embrace solar power

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It's only May and already temperatures are well into the 90s. Air conditioners are being turned on around the valley and they'll probably keep pumping through September.

The cost of energy can be high in this hot city, but a solar power system can help lower the power bill by 60 to 80 percent, according to Les Smith, vice president of sales for Nevada for Assured Power & Communications LLC. The Los Angeles-based company recently began making progress in Las Vegas.

"I've always been interested in land-based solar power," said Smith, a Centennial Hills resident.

For the last year Smith has been working with Dennis Wingo, president and chief executive officer of Assured, building the company. Wingo has designed solar and communication satellites for NASA and the U.S. government.

Wingo, Smith and an executive board have been certified as solar installers and have installed solar power systems in homes and commercial buildings.

"We have some pretty large projects going," Smith said. "A local mall has signed on to have panels installed this summer and the company is working with a large homebuilder about adding solar power as an option for homebuyers. Right now no homebuilder is offering solar as an option. We want to see more people doing residential solar power."

Solar panels are usually mounted on a building's roof but also can be installed on the ground or on top of parking structures.

"(We install them) anywhere that is feasible to mount the panels," Smith said.

Small residential systems, generating 1 to 2 kilowatts, cover basic needs such as lighting and TV. Larger systems, 3 to 5 kilowatts, can power most items used in the house, including power tools.

Large systems for commercial buildings generate 100 to 200 kilowatts.

Systems have a 20-year warranty and are hail resistant. The only maintenance required is periodic cleaning of the surface. Roof mounting hardware and systems are designed to withstand winds of up to 125 miles per hour.

Smith said that although solar power is not a new technology, only recently has it become financially feasible to have the system installed.

The government is offering a 30 percent tax credit for installing solar systems and power companies have a few incentive plans, including paying $3 per watt of installed solar power with a $2,000 cap on residential homes and unlimited for commercial properties. The power company also will buy power that is generated and unused from homes that have grid-tie solar systems, a system designed to accept a two-way metering that allows power to go back to the grid when the amount produced is greater than the demand. Any energy not used will be deducted from the homeowners' monthly power bill.

It will cost about $10 a watt to install a system.

"The best way to finance it is by getting a second mortgage or in a new home where it can be calculated into the mortgage," Smith said. "The systems will pay for themselves in six to 10 years."

Assured Power & Communication also has started building mobile communication trailers. This started when Wingo took a trailer to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Cost. He and his team set up emergency communications systems for law enforcement.

The trailer has 1,000 watts of power, can run up to 25 computers and wireless Internet connections, including phone service. The trailer can be set up in 10 minutes or stored for years indoors or out.

For more information, visit www. assurecom.com.