Friday, May 25, 2012

In Good Company: Energy Concepts Corp.

Las Cruces Bulletin

Business | B9

Solar group now in Cruces

Firm has strong links to NMSU
By Alta LeCompte
For the Las Cruces Bulletin

Details
Energy Concepts Corp.
Address
GreenWorks building 125 N. Main St.

In the eld of alternative energy, its not who you know its what you know. Cary Lane, owner of Energy Concepts Corporation in Las Cruces and Satello, N.M., started learning the science and engineering of solar and wind energy as a New Mexico State University student studying electrical engineering. He was drawn to research, and founded the company in 1991, rst to test products and determine which would live up to expectations. Quality control was an issue, Lane said of the 1990s, when solar technology took off in the marketplace. Consumers, too, are part of the information revolution that shapes the development of the industry. Customer education changes every year, Lane said. Ten years ago, when we said PV (photovoltaic), nobody knew what we meant. Five years ago, half the people knew what it was, but didnt know what it did. Now, when customers come to us, they know. As a result, Energy Concepts does less consumer education than in the past. Now we do more sales, Lane said. But now theres more competition. Lane and his sister Elisa Cundiff, who opened the new Las Cruces ofce of Energy Concepts in the GreenWorks building at 125 N. Main St., agreed referrals are still the way they get most of their new business.

Elisa Cundiff manages the Las Cruces ofce of Energy Concepts Corp., by her brother, Cary Lane.
Las Cruces Bulletin photo by Alta LeCompte

Contact Hours

Elisa Cundiff at 649-7694 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

for the next year and a half, Lane said. State and federal credits will continue, he said.

Cary Lane said solar energy can make a difference for homes and businesses, as well as churches and schools.

Cool technology generates cool savings

In a solar energy system, cells capture the suns energy in the form of direct current (DC). An inverter then shapes the waves, converting them to alternating current (AC) for household use. Cundiff said the inverter, one of the most expensive parts of the system, can track how much energy is being made. A web box connects it with home portals and with Energy Concepts, so both the homeowners and the company can track energy use. You can even see the panels producing energy in real time, she said. Another type of technology for cutting energy costs is demand charge management, which has controls to protect the building owner from paying the highest rates for power. Demand charges are rates the utility charges, based on the highest half hour of use each month. Most demand charge in Las Cruces is based on AC use, Lane said. We knock down midday charges by watching the load a consumer uses and turning off or cycling off.

Investing to save
Alternative energy companies and consumers share another trait they are eager to try something new if it makes good business sense. Lane said switching to solar while remaining connected to the grid can earn a homeowner 10 to 15 percent return on capital investment in energy savings. The biggest residential customers probably have $20,000 in the bank, so its a very good deal to put that money into solar, he said. The return is less for smaller systems costing about $10,000, but its still a pretty good deal, Lane said. Cundiff, a marketing and systems design specialist, said less afuent consumers can make solar protable the way she did, wrapping it into a mortgage. Her system added $40 to her mortgage payment, but reduced her summer electric bill by $100 for a tidy net savings. I got a $54 check from El Paso Electric last month, she said. Cundiff, who owns an older home in Las Cruces, said the homebuyer can be cash positive right away if the system is nanced at a low interest rate. Lower costs and multiple incentives make the purchase more attractive. Cundiff said solar module prices dropped about 25 percent in the past three years, because the market expanded so quickly, responding to federal and state energy credits and utility company rebates. Homeowners currently are scurrying to go solar before the El Paso Electric Co. Renewable Energy Credits drop. To qualify for maximum energy credits, an owner must be under contract to have the work done by June 30. The credits will drop 1 to 2 percent every six months

and follow a long-range plan. Its such a dynamic industry we have to re-evaluate where we are every year. Incentives change every year, he said. Consumers change every year. One thing he can say with certainty is Energy Concepts is a broad-based company that designs custom systems. We help each customer decide what is their best option, Lane said. Maybe they should insulate their home or install new windows or consider LED lighting to make their homes more energy efcient rather than installing a solar system. As a general contractor and electrical contractor, Energy Concepts can design and install what will work best for each customer. Lane oversees each project.

Coming home to Cruces

Lane worked for six years at the Southwest Renewable Research Facility, known as one of the two leading solar research facilities in the world, before founding Energy Concepts in Las Cruces. The companys initial projects focused on developing software and research tools. The primary client was National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL). In the early years, Energy Concepts built multi-curve tracers for NREL for testing solar panels. Lane started installing solar systems because very few were doing it at the time, he said. In the late 1990s, he moved to Satello in northern Mexico, following the demand for off-grid systems. In addition to designing systems for those who owned cabins in the woods and wanted total energy independence, he did special projects, such as solar powered wireless phone towers that enable reghters in wilderness areas to communicate with one another. The company is renewing its presence in Las Cruces through the new ofce in the GreenWorks building. Cundiff, who manages the ofce, formerly was with the Green Chamber of Commerce, also located in the GreenWorks building. She said Lane is her oldest brother. I was in elementary school the rst time he showed me some solar stuff, she said. Now, Im back at the source.

ing a huge 50 Kw system for two schools.

Knowledge is (solar) power

The majority of folks weve hired are NMSU graduates, Cundiff said. Two mechanical engineers and one electrical engineer are installers. Two NMSU interns with the rm are minoring in renewable energy. We have the strongest certication in the business: Half our installation staff have engineering degrees, she said. Youre not going to nd that anywhere in the country. Because alternative energy is such a knowledge-intensive, rapidly changing industry, companies that do installations must constantly evaluate their businesses and keep current on emerging technology. Cundiff said the Energy Concepts staff conducts regular strategy sessions, evaluating opportunities they anticipate may evolve in two, ve or 10 years and targeting events and people we think will get the biggest payback from alternative energy systems. The future is likely to include complimentary integrated systems to further reduce costs, Cundiff said. Lane added, however, that the eld changes so quickly its impossible to predict the future

Solar goes to church

Lane said the commercial end of the alternative energy systems design and installation business is growing. Churches are a good target market because a lot of them want to do it environment-wise, he said. Economically, it makes pretty good sense for them. He explained that solar can bring nancial stability to church budgets by getting rid of their erratic electric bills and evening out their utility costs. Cundiff said their commercial customers include a new bank under construction in northern New Mexico that is making a really big commitment to their community and a radio station with a similar commitment. She said the Corona school district is install-