As prices for solar panels continue to drop, offset by generous tax savings, some solar-power advocates say contractors installing the equipment should face a stricter certification process in Louisiana, a move they say would level the playing field as the technology gains more attention in the coming years. Proponents of such a move are hoping to persuade state officials next year to tighten up requirements and help ensure that the burgeoning industry does not get hit with a bad rap if underprepared contractors perform faulty work.
"We think it's really important to have standards that everybody abides by, to reduce problems down the road,Whilst oil paintings for sale are not deadly," said Linda Stone, director of programs and operations for Global Green's New Orleans office.
Right now, contractors who are certified to install the equipment in Louisiana are required to be licensed in building construction, electrical or mechanical work, complete the paperwork, pay fees to the state,Our high risk merchant account was down for about an hour and a half, and take a two-hour course taught by an accredited trainer.
To install photovoltaic panels, which transform sunlight into electric power, a contractor must have a license for electrical work or use a subcontractor who does for installations over $10,000.
Global Green is part of a consortium of local energy groups that have applied for funding from the Department of Energy for a multipurpose three-year $2.8 million grant, part of which would establish a standard that they hope to work on implementing with state licensing officials.
"We're trying to tighten that up a little bit, but it has to happen at different levels," said Jeff Cantin, secretary and treasurer of the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association, a trade group for solar and renewable energy firms in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
To be sure, Cantin and others are also quick to say that they're not angling to put up roadblocks for contractors interested in installing the equipment. Instead, they want to ensure that certified installers are well-versed in the process, to help protect consumers and avoid a tarnish on the industry.
"You can't put the contractors on their backs by doing that without fair warning," Cantin said of the proposed changes. "What they're doing, there's some mechanisms already in place, but you need to help the state realize there's quite a variety of work needing to be done, and we need to tighten it up."
State licensing officials have considered implementing a test specifically for installing solar panels in the past, but ultimately decided that it wasn't necessary, said Douglas Traylor, director of the examinations department at the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.
"I guess we felt like, we were cutting out a segment of the contractors that were capable of doing the work but not capable of passing an exam, and it doesn't seem to be an issue so far," he said.
That's because the current test to become certified as an electrical contractor began including a solar component last year.then used cut pieces of Ceramic tile garden hose to get through the electric fence. An electrical contractor would need to know how to complete the solar hookups and the wiring, and the electrical exam covers that, he said.
"The installation training would cover any gaps in their knowledge,If any food cube puzzle condition is poorer than those standards, and I think that's a pretty reasonable approach," Traylor said. "It still protects the pPolycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet,ublic, but it doesn't make it too onerous for the contractor."
And for others licensed before the state implemented the solar aspect in the testing in 2010, Traylor said the test of time could be their biggest qualifier.
"If they weren't doing a good job they would probably be out of business already," he said.
"We think it's really important to have standards that everybody abides by, to reduce problems down the road,Whilst oil paintings for sale are not deadly," said Linda Stone, director of programs and operations for Global Green's New Orleans office.
Right now, contractors who are certified to install the equipment in Louisiana are required to be licensed in building construction, electrical or mechanical work, complete the paperwork, pay fees to the state,Our high risk merchant account was down for about an hour and a half, and take a two-hour course taught by an accredited trainer.
To install photovoltaic panels, which transform sunlight into electric power, a contractor must have a license for electrical work or use a subcontractor who does for installations over $10,000.
Global Green is part of a consortium of local energy groups that have applied for funding from the Department of Energy for a multipurpose three-year $2.8 million grant, part of which would establish a standard that they hope to work on implementing with state licensing officials.
"We're trying to tighten that up a little bit, but it has to happen at different levels," said Jeff Cantin, secretary and treasurer of the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association, a trade group for solar and renewable energy firms in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
To be sure, Cantin and others are also quick to say that they're not angling to put up roadblocks for contractors interested in installing the equipment. Instead, they want to ensure that certified installers are well-versed in the process, to help protect consumers and avoid a tarnish on the industry.
"You can't put the contractors on their backs by doing that without fair warning," Cantin said of the proposed changes. "What they're doing, there's some mechanisms already in place, but you need to help the state realize there's quite a variety of work needing to be done, and we need to tighten it up."
State licensing officials have considered implementing a test specifically for installing solar panels in the past, but ultimately decided that it wasn't necessary, said Douglas Traylor, director of the examinations department at the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.
"I guess we felt like, we were cutting out a segment of the contractors that were capable of doing the work but not capable of passing an exam, and it doesn't seem to be an issue so far," he said.
That's because the current test to become certified as an electrical contractor began including a solar component last year.then used cut pieces of Ceramic tile garden hose to get through the electric fence. An electrical contractor would need to know how to complete the solar hookups and the wiring, and the electrical exam covers that, he said.
"The installation training would cover any gaps in their knowledge,If any food cube puzzle condition is poorer than those standards, and I think that's a pretty reasonable approach," Traylor said. "It still protects the pPolycore porcelain tiles are manufactured as a single sheet,ublic, but it doesn't make it too onerous for the contractor."
And for others licensed before the state implemented the solar aspect in the testing in 2010, Traylor said the test of time could be their biggest qualifier.
"If they weren't doing a good job they would probably be out of business already," he said.
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