Business - Dave Gallagher

POSTED: Sunday, May. 31, 2009

Bellingham company making strides with solar energy

Innovation is a quick way of getting an economy back on its feet, and a Bellingham company seems to be doing its part in Arizona.

A couple of weeks ago Alpha Technologies president Drew Zogby gave a presentation at a Technology Alliance Group of Northwest Washington monthly meeting. He focused his talk on Alpha Energy, which has been busy installing solar power projects in Arizona. Several of the company's projects include parking structures, as the company has been able to show how those structures can become a profit center for cities and businesses that build them.

Zogby showed pictures of some the parking structures, and it immediately became clear how his company's equipment would be helpful for the owner over the long term. In one project, the equipment was installed on the top of the structure, which is a good use of space because no one would even consider parking a car on the roof most of the year, baking in the Arizona sun.

Alpha Energy recently opened a sales office in Phoenix and it has been able to land other projects in the private and government sector, including one with Cox Communications where they'll install 900 photovoltaic panels to generate more than 240,000 kilowatt hours per year. Other Arizona projects include installing solar power systems at an airport hangar and at the Arizona Air National Guard headquarters.

"Along with lower costs for the panels and government incentives, Arizona is coming on strong in taking advantage of solar energy," Zogby said.

One of the challenges for Alpha Energy is the upfront costs to the customer, but the federal government is making renewable energy part of its stimulus package that is starting to work its way through the economy. If capturing solar energy becomes a priority in the country, it would appear Alpha is well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunity.

While listening to the presentation, I looked around the packed meeting room and noticed officials from several local technology companies as well as government agencies. Having both listening to Zogby is a good thing; the local technology companies are also busy innovating to create their niches, which will help turn around a sluggish economy. The government officials listening in can also take advantage of projects that might work for them, ultimately saving money for taxpayers. I'd call that a productive meeting.